


Get Busy Living

by bluecurls



Series: Get Busy Living [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fred Weasley Lives, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter Friendship, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley friendship, Multi, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Previously posted on Granger Enchanted, Remus Lupin Lives, Sirius Black Lives, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-07-24 06:28:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 54,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7497687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluecurls/pseuds/bluecurls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war is over, yet three of our heroes struggle to find their happiness in the aftermath. Will they find it together or continue to drift through life alone?</p><p>This is my first piece of fanfiction, originally published on FF.net in 2014. When I left the site, I moved my Harry Potter-related stories to Granger Enchanted. However, I recently learned that the site is defunct (So sad!), so I am uploading my finished Harry Potter stories on this site.</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Anything you recognize does not belong to me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She was curled up in the worn armchair, a blanket pulled around her shoulders and a book, long since forgotten, in her lap. A fire crackled in the fireplace, the orange-red glow giving off more light than heat on the cold January night. Hermione Granger shivered in her sleep, pulling the blanket tighter around her small frame, but she didn't wake – a small miracle the man watching from the doorway was thankful for.

Remus Lupin understood sleepless nights. He's had his share in his lifetime; never-ending nights in which memories wouldn't let him escape into dreams or nightmares forced his eyes open. But in the years since the war ended and wizarding world worked to put the pieces back together, a sense of contentment surrounded the werewolf. He wouldn't go so far to call it peace – he had seen too much violence and caused too much violence to ever be at peace with himself – but he had reached a point in his life where simple pleasures like a hot meal and a good book were enough for him.

He knew Hermione had yet to find any sense of tranquility. Oh, she acted like she was happy, leaving for work every morning, her bag filled with parchment and textbooks, testaments to her never-ending quest for knowledge. She rarely missed a Sunday dinner at the Weasley home and regularly spent time with her dearest friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. But there were moments, snippets of time when Remus would look at Hermione and catch a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. No, not sadness – disorientation, like she was lost and didn't know how to find her way home. It never lasted long. She'd shake herself out of it and smile, her full lips turning upward but her eyes no longer had that sparkle he noticed the first time they met, a sparkle that grew duller as she and her friends prepared for war, losing friends, losing loved ones, losing their innocence.

"Moony! I thought we were going to – "

"Shh!" Remus turned away from his sentry, silencing his best friend, Sirius Black. Pointing her Hermione's still form, he gestured for Sirius to meet him in the kitchen, closing the door to the study with barely a sound.

In the kitchen, Sirius reached into the cupboard for a bottle of firewhiskey and two glasses, taking a seat at the large oak table, pouring a drink for himself and his friend. Pushing the glass across the scarred wood, he lifted his in a silent toast and drowned the alcohol in a single swallow. He poured a second glass but left it on the table as he leaned back in his chair and studied his friend, his gray eyes unblinking as Remus swallowed his drink. "How long has she been out?" he asked.

"An hour? Maybe two?" Remus replied. "She went in there after dinner."

"Did she eat anything?"

"Not enough."

Both men sighed, their thoughts on the petite brunette. Remus and Sirius were happy when Harry accepted their offer to move in to 12 Grimmauld Place after the war ended. Hermione chose to return to Hogwarts for her last year of school, but took residence in the Black Family Home during breaks and vacations. When her education ended and she accepted a job at the Ministry of Magic in one of their many research departments, the men in her life convinced her to stay at Grimmauld Place. Essentially orphaned since she made the brave decision to erase herself from her parents' memories for their own protection, no one wanted Hermione to live alone. Arthur and Molly Weasley offered their home, too, but Hermione wanted quiet - something she'd ever get at the Burrow.

Now that Harry had moved out, though, and into an apartment with Ginny Weasley, Hermione wondered if the time had come for her to do the same. She mentioned getting a place of her own last week, but Sirius laughed it off, telling Hermione her gold was better spent on clothes and travels and the endless collection of books that spilled out of her bedroom. She'd exhausted the shelves he cleared for her in the study and had taken to piling tomes in one of the many empty rooms on the second floor.

"You don't want a know-it-all bookworm crowding your home, Sirius," she had said.

"Tough sell, love," he replied. "I already live with Remus."

The matter was dropped for the moment, but both men knew Hermione wouldn't forget it. She never forgot anything – except for the girl she used to be.

Sirius picked up his glass and downed the second shot, nodding his ascent when Remus held up the bottle with a questioning look. Watching his friend pour, he wished briefly for something stronger. Years of drowning his pain in firewhiskey meant a few drinks had little effect on him. Like Remus, he had experienced so much horror in his life – betrayal by a friend, the deaths of James and Lily Potter, 12 years in Azkaban for a murder he didn't commit – that no longer having to look over his shoulder wasn't as comforting as he expected. Yes, his name had been cleared and yes, he had people he cared about and who cared about him, but something was missing. "We're quite the trio, aren't we, Remus?" he asked with a bitter laugh.

Remus looked up, a surprised look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"You. Me. Hermione. Three broken people under one roof. It's pathetic."

"I'm not broken," a quiet voice said in the doorway. Both men looked over to see Hermione standing there, her curly hair mussed from sleep, the blanket hanging from her shoulders. Shuffling into the kitchen, she took a glass from the cupboard and poured herself a glass of firewhiskey, drowning it as quickly as Sirius had moments before.

"Careful, sweetheart - " Remus started, but stopped when she set down the glass without blinking.

"Where did you learn to drink like that?" Sirius asked.

"Fred and George," she replied, reaching for the bottle, glaring at Remus when he moved it out of her reach. "They've perfected the art of drinking games."

Her face softened as she thought of the red-haired pranksters, older brothers of Ron and a bright light in her life that never dulled. Sirius swallowed the taste of jealousy that rose whenever Hermione spoke of the twins. He loved Fred and George, he often thought of them as the reincarnates of himself and James, but he hated that they were the only ones these days who could make Hermione smile. Really smile.

"They should know better than to make you drink with them," Sirius muttered.

"Like you're one to talk," Hermione's laugh was hollow. "I'm pretty sure this bottle was full when I saw it earlier."

"I'm of age, love."

"I am, too."

"Kids," Remus reprimanded, but not with force. Breaking up arguments between the animagus and the young witch was second nature to him, their stubborn personalities clashing often over the smallest of matters. Two days ago it was an argument about a cereal box that hadn't been properly closed, allowing the sugary puffed wheat to go stale.

Remus still didn't want to admit he was the one that forgot to seal the flaps.

"Sorry, Remus," the pair muttered, their voices echoing off each other.

Silence descended among the three, the occasional gust of wind outside the only sound in the large kitchen.

"Right," Sirius pushed back his chair and stood up. "No more moping."

Two questioning pairs of eyes – one green, the other hazel – looked up at him.

"We're going out."

"Sirius, I don't want - "

"It's so cold out - "

"Don't care. We've been wandering around here like ghosts since Harry moved out. It was easy to pretend everything was OK when he was here because Merlin knows that boy has earned a peaceful life but damn it, we have, too. And tonight, starting now, we're going to get it."

"Peace?" Hermione asked.

"A life," Sirius stated with confidence.

"That's a tall order for 10 p.m. on a Saturday night," Remus remarked.

"Again – don't care," Sirius said. "I can't live like this anymore, feeling guilty for living when so many others are gone. I can't stand watching you two do the same. We deserve better. We are going to make ourselves happy!"

"Do you want us to leave the room while you do that?" Remus smirked. It was a familiar look, one Sirius missed seeing so much, he almost didn't mind it was at his expense.

"Bugger off." He circled Hermione's chair and pulled it away from the table. He took her hands and pulled her to her feet, the blanket sliding off her shoulders in a puddle on the floor. "Come on, love. March upstairs, get changed, and meet us back here in 30 minutes."

"Sirius," she practically whined.

"No backtalk. We're leaving in 30 minutes. If you want to show up at The Leaky Cauldron wearing a tank top and sushi-covered pajama bottoms, that's your prerogative, but we are leaving this house." He turned to Remus and gestured for him to stand up, too. "The same goes for you, old man. Find something less hole-y than … well, find something."

Remus pushed himself to his feet. "I'm four months younger than you."

"I'm better looking. Let's go!"

Knowing it was useless to fight, the pair followed Sirius upstairs, their enthusiasm for the night's change of plans growing as they shucked lounging around-the-house apparel for actual clothing. Hermione slipped on a long-sleeved red dress that managed to keep her warm and show off her curves at the same time. Pairing them with a pair of heeled dragon-skinned boots, she twisted her thick curls into a braid, huffing impatiently when a few refused to be tamed, coiling stubbornly around her face. She used her wand for a quick glamour and was downstairs, waiting, before either man exited his bedroom.

"You look lovely," Remus walked down the staircase. He had changed into khaki trousers and a hunter green button-down shirt, beat-up leather boots on his feet. The clothing was by no means new, but they suited the battle-scarred werewolf. Watching him push his sandy brown hair off of his forehead, Hermione admired his clean-shaven face.

"What?" Remus asked as she rubbed one small hand against his cheek, a gesture that nearly froze him on the spot.

"I'm not used to seeing you without a little bit of scruff," she pulled her hand back in embarrassment.

"He cleans up nicely, doesn't he?" Sirius bounded down the stairs with enthusiasm, his dark hair still wet from the shower. He’d shaken off the melancholy feelings that plagued him earlier – OK, plagued him often – and was determined to show his friends a good time. Tucking his wand into his charcoal-colored jeans, he pulled a worn black leather jacket over his black T-shirt. Grabbing Hermione's dress cloak, he settled it over her shoulders and held out an arm.

"Are we ready?" he asked.

Remus and Hermione nodded, took Sirius' arm and the three disappeared with a resounding crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is finished, but could use some editing. The plan is to post a chapter as I edit.
> 
> I hope more Granger Enchanted writers move their stories to AO3. That site had a lot of talent.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione sipped her wine, her eyes on Sirius who was standing at the bar with one of his arms around the waist of a woman who had grabbed him within moments of entering The Leaky Cauldron.

"It looks like his night is improving," she nudged Remus, who was sitting in the chair next to hers, a mug of coffee in front of him. Remus rarely indulged in alcohol, for fear a drop in his inhibitions would allow parts of his personality to shine through that he rather leave hidden. The firewhiskey he shared with Sirius earlier was enough for one night.

He glanced at the bar, and then turned toward Hermione with a slight smile. "That's Candressa. She was three years ahead of us at school."

"Were she and Sirius friendly back then?"

Remus snorted. Sirius was friendly with every female during their years at Hogwarts. "Her friends thought three years was too big of an age gap."

"Three years isn't that much," Hermione took another small sip of wine. She'd never admit it to Remus or Sirius, but she didn't have the best tolerance for alcohol. Yes, she drank when the Weasley twins indulged in fun-loving games that involved as much alcohol as a person’s stomach could handle, but she always paid for it the next day, and as great as hangover potions were, they weren’t foolproof. Still, a headache was a small price for a few hours of oblivion.

"When he was 14 and she was 17, it was." Remus was no longer watching the couple. His eyes were steady on Hermione's face.

"Well, now that she's 40-something and Sirius is 40 -"

"We're not 40," Remus interrupted.

"— the difference doesn't matter. Really, age is just a number."

"So, if an older man was to ask you out …"

"She'd say yes because I'm so devastatingly handsome!" a boisterous voice shouted moments before a sloppy kiss was placed on Hermione's right cheek. Giggling, she pushed herself away from Fred Weasley; a move that made it easier for George to mirror his brother's greeting on Hermione's left side.

"How ya doin', Remus?" Fred pulled a chair over and plopped down at the table, settling between his former professor and Hermione. George stayed standing, one hand on Hermione's shoulder, as he signaled the waitress to indicate drinks for him and his brother.

"Another wine, love?"

"No, thank you."

"What'll you have, Remus?"

Remus looked down at his empty coffee cup. His earlier decision to leave the alcohol alone for the rest of the night made him sound old compared to the twins, both of whom were looking at him with expectant expressions on their faces.

"Whatever you're having," he replied.

"Great! Now it's a party!"

* * *

 

Two hours later, Remus lifted his glass in another toast. Sirius had rejoined the table shortly after the twins arrived, Candressa forgotten as he held court, telling stories of the Marauders' adventures at Hogwarts, pitching their pranks and adventures against those the twins pulled off during their school years. Hermione stayed quiet during most of the storytelling, occasionally shaking her head or rolling her eyes. She jumped in a few times to correct Fred and George if they missed a detail, a move Sirius rewarded with a pat on her shoulder, as if he knew she couldn't have been the perfect Hogwarts student all the time.

"I still wish we had seen what you looked like after that Polyjuice mishap," Fred leaned back in his chair, an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"I don't think I've heard this one," Remus remarked.

"What!?" Fred sat forward with a bang. "It's a classic!"

"Fred -" Hermione began.

"It was your second year, right?" He looked at George who nodded in confirmation. "OK, and the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and our favorite threesome was convinced Draco Malfoy was the heir of Slytherin."

The table collectively groaned upon the uttering a Malfoy's name. Each man took a long pull of alcohol, as if to get the bitter taste of saying the Malfoy name out of their mouth.

"So, Granger decides to play spy, brewing Polyjuice to get her, Ron and Harry in the Slytherin common room," George continued the story.

"You made a Polyjuice potion? As a second year student?" Remus asked.

"She's brilliant, mate," Fred nuzzled Hermione's neck, not noticing the narrowed eyes of the older men at the table.

"The story, Fred," Sirius brought tipsy twin back to the present. "What happened next?"

"Oh, so Ron and Harry transformed just fine, but our little Hermione … Well, things weren't as purr-fect for her," he snickered before swallowing the rest of his drink.

George was laughing so hard, it wasn't long before his face matched his hair. Hermione buried her face in her arms on the table. Neither Sirius nor Remus could tell if she was laughing, too.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Remus was concerned.

"No," was her muffled reply.

"Did you get caught?" Sirius asked.

She shook her head.

The two friends looked at the breathless twins and embarrassed witch in confusion.

"Someone is going to have to fill in the blanks for us," Remus said.

Fred opened his mouth to speak, but started laughing again. Hermione sat up and punched him in the shoulder, but he was too far gone to care. George wasn't much better.

"Hermione?" Remus asked.

She sighed and pushed aside her glass of water, grabbing Remus’ beer. She finished the bottle before answering. "I didn't have the right hair for the potion.”

"You didn't become a Slytherin?" Sirius asked.

She shook her head, avoiding his eyes.

"Who'd you become?"

"Not who, mate. What!" George shouted gleefully.

Sirius stared blankly at Hermione as he ran the conversation through his head. Remembering Fred's emphasis on the word perfect, he smiled slowly. A quick glance at Remus, who was watching Hermione with a mischievous grin, told him he figured it out, too. "You became a cat?"

Hermione nodded miserably.

Sirius barked out a laugh, making several people look up and turn their heads at the table in the corner. Remus had a better time controlling himself, but Hermione didn't miss his snort of amusement.

"It's not funny!" she cried.

"Oh yes it is!" Sirius responded. "Merlin, it's great knowing you're not purr-fect!"

With that sentence, all four men started laughing again. Hermione sat back in her chair with a huff, arms crossed defensively over her chest and waited for them to stop. Judging by the amount of empty glasses on the table, it was going to be awhile.

* * *

 

"Oompf!"

Hermione and Remus stumbled into each other after apparating home, Sirius' lax body between them. Their night at The Leaky Cauldron had gone on longer than any of them had planned, but the laughter and conversation were too great to leave. Now, standing in the dark hallway of Grimmauld Place, both werewolf and witch could feel a sense of despair settle over their shoulders.

Or perhaps that was Sirius, who had passed out seconds before.

Hermione shifted under the wizard's weight. "Where are we taking him?"

Remus shot a dubious look at the narrow staircase, then pointed to the study at the end of the hallway. "There. He can sleep it off on the couch."

Slowly, they shuffled down the hall, making it to the study without incident. They were almost to the sofa when the heel of Hermione's left boot caught on the rug. She let go of Sirius to stop herself from falling at the exact moment Remus did the same, reaching Hermione before she crashed into the floor lamp.

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered from the floor. He rolled to his back and glared at seeing his two housemates in each other's arms. "You could have at least gotten me to the sofa first." Picking himself up, he stumbled to the couch and threw himself on it, his back against the far armrest. He laced his arms behind his head and raised an eyebrow at Hermione and Remus, who had yet to separate. "This is better. As Remus could tell you, love, I don't mind watching, but I'd rather be in a comfortable spot first."

Hermione rolled her eyes and untangled herself from Remus. She bent down to remove her boots, smiling when she saw Remus smack Sirius on the side of his head on his way to the armchair, and let out a sigh of relief when she could wiggle her toes again. She loved her boots, a Christmas present from Charlie Weasley, but they were not made for prolonged wear.

"Are you OK, sweetheart?" Remus asked from his chair, his eyes concerned as he watched Hermione rub her left foot against her right calf, the movement revealing ivory skin under the long skirt.

"Heels had to be created by a man," she bent over to rub some feeling back into her toes. "There's no way a woman would do this to her sisters."

"Come here," Sirius sat up, patting his thighs invitingly. Hermione shook her head and picked up her boots, making like she was going to leave. Ignoring that, Sirius stood and grabbed the boots out of her hands, tossing them across the room where they landed on the floor with a thud. He pulled Hermione back to the sofa and pushed her down, her body parallel to the couch. He settled on the opposite end with her feet in his lap. He ignored her struggle to free herself and pressed his index fingers on the inside of each foot. "Would you stop – ah …" she sighed, practically melting into the couch as Sirius massaged her tired feet.

"This is why man invented heels," he said. "They are a great excuse for us to play hero at the end of the day."

Hermione leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "OK."

"Not to mention they're sexy as hell," Remus added.

"True, my friend. Very, very true."

Hermione knew she should say something to derail the conversation before it went much further, but she couldn't remember the last time she was this relaxed. The fire Remus had started with the flick of his wand was part of it. So was the alcohol she had consumed. Sirius' careful rubbing of her feet, from heel to toes to ankle to slightly up her calf and back down again, was another.

The crackling sound of the fire was the only noise in the room as the threesome relaxed, lost in their own thoughts. Sirius rubbed his knuckles against the arch in Hermione's feet, smiling when she arched her back in response. Catching Remus' eye, he shrugged innocently and repeated the gesture on her other foot.

"Did you have a good night, Hermione?" Remus asked.

"Of course," she responded, eyes still closed. "It's hard not to when Fred and George are around."

Rolling his eyes, Sirius lifted Hermione's right leg to his shoulder and placed both hands on her calf, kneading until he felt her tense muscles relax. Her skirt drifted higher during the process, a result he was sure Remus enjoyed as much as he did, but now wasn't the time to ogle the young witch. Watching Hermione interact with Fred and George that night, Sirius saw snippets of the girl she used to be, the witch who was brave and strong and didn't back down to anyone. Even when she was embarrassed, there was more life in her as she banged her head against the table in frustration than he had seen in months. He knew he and Moony were almost as lost as Hermione, but tonight showed him there was still hope that the three of them could laugh and live and perhaps, someday, love.

He switched legs and told himself to focus on that, not the beautiful woman slowly becoming putty in his hands.

"I was thinking -"

"Uh oh," Remus and Hermione said at the same time.

"Shut it." He lightly smacked the side of Hermione's thigh. She jumped slightly, but didn't leave the couch. "As I was saying, I thought tonight was progress."

"Progress?" Remus slouched deeper in the chair, his long legs stretched in front of him. It sounded like Sirius was ready to make a speech. He might as well be comfortable.

"Yes, progress. We got out of the house. We socialized. We laughed."

"Did we get a life?" Hermione words slurred slightly as she stifled a yawn.

"Not quite. The way I see it, we need to do this more."

"The drinking?" Remus asked.

"The jokes?" Hermione volunteered.

"The part where you pass out on the table?"

"I wouldn't mind seeing that again. It's always entertaining," Hermione giggled.

"If your back to being a smartass, your feet must feel better," Sirius remarked.

Hermione started to sit up, but he tightened his grip, shaking his head when she looked at him. Leaving her feet in his lap, he continued to caress them lightly as he talked. "I meant doing more of, well, everything. Remus, you need to stop going on meandering walks just so you can avoid people. Hermione, you need to take that time off the office keeps owling you about. And I … well, I'm sure I need to do _something_."

"The dishes," Hermione said.

"The laundry," Remus added.

"We need to leave the house," Sirius ignored their comments. "We need to see people. We need to be active. We need to be silly. We need to stop closing ourselves off from everything we fought so hard to save!"

Both Remus and Hermione waited for the punch line. After a minute, Remus nodded his head. "You're right. I had more fun tonight than I had since Harry left."

"I’m slightly insulted," Hermione replied, "but I agree."

"Great!" Sirius stood up suddenly and Hermione's feet dropped to the floor. She curled up on one end of the couch, and watched Sirius pace back and forth in front of the fire. "So here's the plan," he spoke over Remus' groan. "The three of us will take turns choosing an activity we can do together, things that force us to break free of this self-imposed prison. I made us go out tonight, so Remus can go next."

"Why me?"

"Why him?"

"Because I said so."

"Is this an age thing?" Hermione asked with a smirk. "Oldest to youngest?"

She ducked quickly, the pillow Sirius threw at her grazing the top of her head.

"It's a maturity thing," he told her.

"Then shouldn't Hermione go first?" Remus batted away the pillow that came zooming at his head.

"If the two of you are finished being children, are you in?"

They were quiet. On one hand, it sounded too simple, that a few outings could fix whatever was wrong with them: the depression, the nightmares, the fear that they were too far gone to save. But, and neither would ever say this out loud, Sirius had a point. Why fight the war if they weren't willing to enjoy the victory?

"OK," Hermione said.

"Sure," Remus agreed.

"All right." Sirius perched on the coffee table. "The rules. When it's your turn to choose what we do, the others have to do it, no matter what."

"But what if it's something we really don't like to do, like flying?" Hermione asked, knowing that would be the first thing Sirius would pick. He never understood Hermione's fear. For him, flying on a broom was the only time he truly felt free.

"We wouldn't make you -" Remus began.

"Excuse me! Yes, we would. That's the point, to get out this rut we've dug ourselves into."

"No flying," Hermione said stubbornly.

"Come on -"

"If she doesn't want to do it, Sirius, we won't make her," Remus said quietly.

"Fine. If she's not going to fly, I'm not going to do whatever girly thing she chooses, like knitting lessons."

"I wouldn't make you do that!"

"Ha!"

"How about a compromise? We each pick one thing we don't want to do and the others promise not to bring it up again," Remus waited until his housemates nodded. "OK. I don't ever want to go to a nightclub."

Hermione looked surprised. She knew Remus accompanied Sirius to clubs when they were looking for a woman to pass some time with, but she didn't know they weren't a place he liked. "Why?"

He shrugged.

"Fear, love," Sirius replied.

"They scare you?"

"No, they don't scare me," Remus glared at Sirius. "They just … they're too crowded, too noisy. I can't breathe. Give me a pub any day."

"Fair enough. I still say no flying."

Sirius heaved an impatient sigh. "Fine. I'm sticking with the no knitting lessons."

"Really?" Remus asked. "That's your veto?"

"I know this witch. She'd love to make me do something humiliating like that."

"If you really knew this witch, Sirius, you'd know she'll come up with something a lot worse than knitting."

Sirius’ eyes narrowed at Hermione’s innocent smile. He told himself the flutter in his stomach was anticipation; not fear.

"OK, boys. Hands in."

Remus and Sirius looked at the hand Hermione held out in confusion. She grabbed Sirius' left hand and Remus' right, laying them on top of hers. "One, two, three – break!"

She let go. Both men looked at her like she was crazy.

"It's a muggle sports thing," she explained.

"Oh.”

She grinned at them indulgently, a look they returned.

Remus stood and stretched. "I'm going to bed. I suggest you two do the same. We're doing my thing in the morning."


	3. Chapter 3

"We're _running_?!"

Their nice, quiet breakfast – emphasis on the word quiet as all three made use of the hangover potion stashed in the kitchen cupboard and were still waiting for it to kick in – was obviously over as witch and wizard exchanged horrified expressions before turning their attention to the werewolf.

"It's good for you," Remus told them.

"No, it's not," Sirius argued. "If we were meant to run, we wouldn't have trains and brooms and dragons -"

"Point made, Padfoot," Remus sighed. He turned his attention to Hermione. "Sweetheart?"

"I'm not athletic, Remus. The best thing about Hogwarts was the lack of a physical education requirement."

"I thought _I_ was the best thing about Hogwarts.”

She grinned. "OK, second best thing."

Sirius shook his head. He usually enjoyed playing witness to Remus’ and Hermione’s flirting, but this was too much sappiness this early in the morning. If he was going to have to go outside and run, the conversation would have to change. "Why this, Moony?"

Remus set his teacup down. "I like it. Running clears the head and reduces stress, then the endorphins kick in and you feel great."

"I had no idea you were a runner," Hermione tilted her head, as if seeing Remus for the first time. "How have I lived with you for almost three years and not known this?"

Remus shrugged. He was never one to draw attention to himself. "It's not like I advertise it or anything. I do it when I need it – SHUT UP, Sirius!"

The raven-haired wizard closed his mouth with a grin. He mimicked locking it shut and tossing the key.

Hermione was fascinated. She knew Remus walked to escape the demons in his head, but that's what she assumed it was - walking. She had no idea the mild-mannered intellectual was, well, an athlete. Though, now that she thought about it, there's no way anyone who sat around reading as much as he did could maintain such lean physique without some form of physical exercise. That didn't mean she was eager to join him.

"How far do you run?"

"Usually a few miles, sometimes more," his attention focused more on the morning's Daily Prophet than Hermione.

"Remus!"

He looked up, startled. "What?"

"I can't run a few miles! I don't even think I can run one mile! Can you, Sirius?"

He snorted. "Please. The only physical exercise I do does not involve sprinting down a path, but lying in a -"

"WE KNOW!" Remus and Hermione shouted.

"Well, she asked," Sirius muttered.

Hermione shook her head and went back to her toast, peeling the crusts from the bread for Noir, the black owl in charge of the household's correspondence. After finishing her tea, she pushed her chair back, sending her dishes to the sink with the wave of her wand. Running was the last thing she wanted to do that day – and the next day and the day after that – but she made a deal and she always kept her word.

Plus, Sirius was whining enough for both of them.

"When do we go?"

Remus looked at Sirius, who was eating his second bowl of porridge.

"We'll need to wait for him to digest his breakfast if we want to avoid an embarrassing situation." He ignored Sirius’ raised finger. "Give it an hour, love.”

“What should I wear?”

“Sweatpants, a long-sleeved shirt, tennis shoes, gloves and hat."

"No coat?"

"You won't need it once you get moving."

* * *

 

Ninety minutes later, Hermione was convinced Remus Lupin was the biggest liar on the planet. The trio had apparated to a wooded area with a trail Remus said was ideal for beginners, secluded and smooth. His definition of smooth was a lot hiller than hers. After huffing her way up two, Hermione settled on a pace that was more of a shuffle, but it was still faster than whatever Sirius was doing at her side.

"Come on, you two! A little bit further!" Remus called from several yards ahead.

Watching her breath puff in shirt, angry bursts, Hermione was so focused on devising new hexes for her once-favorite teacher and former friend that she didn't see the tree root. She tripped over it, taking Sirius down with her. She landed on top, knocking the wind out of both of them.

"Sorry!" She struggled to get to her feet. "I'm so sorry!"

Sirius wrapped his arms around Hermione to keep her in place. "Don't go," he huffed.

"What?"

"If we stay here … we can rest …" he panted, hating that it took so much effort to get the words out.

Hermione smiled and let her body relax. "Deal." She laid her head on his chest and listened as his heartbeat slowed. After a blessed minute during which neither one moved, Sirius lifted his head.

"My ass is freezing."

"Is that code for you want to get up now?"

"Well, I am rather attached to it,” he replied with a smirk. “Don't pretend I haven't caught you staring a time or two."

Hermione laughed and got to her feet. She held out a hand for Sirius. "You know, Sirius, you really ought to see someone about your lack of self-confidence. It's not healthy to think so low of yourself."

He made a show of brushing the snow off of his backside. “See anything you –“ he broke off and cocked his head to the side.

“What are you –“

He held up a finger to silence Hermione. "Remus is circling back. Let's go."

She shook her head. It wouldn’t be the first time she was jealous of the wizard's amplified hearing. She started shuffling along the path once again, the few minutes of rest making it easier to make her attempt at running more of a jog than a hobble.

"Where were you two?" Remus bounded over without a hitch in his breath despite the sweat that glistened on his face, soaking the front of his ratty gray sweatshirt.

"I tripped on a tree, took Sirius down with me.”

Remus eyes swept over her, looking for injuries. "Are you OK? Do we need to go home?"

She watched as Sirius nodded frantically behind Remus' head. Her answering smile was evil. "No, I'm good. Let's keep going."

"Great! There's a hill coming up that is a little steep, but the view it worth it." He took off. Hermione and Sirius followed at their slower pace.

"I'm so going to kick your ass, Granger," Sirius muttered.

"No you won't, Black," she replied. "I've seen you checking it out enough to know you're rather fond of it."

The precious air she wasted to laugh at his shocked expression was worth it as she darted ahead to meet Remus at the top of the hill.

He was right. The view was gorgeous.

Dammit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reading something you wrote nearly two years ago, and realizing the story dwittches from past tense to present tense over and over again ... painful! Edit! Edit like the wind!


	4. Chapter 4

Sirius stretched on the couch, the twinge in his left calf annoying him more by the second. He was going to get back at Remus. Forcing him to go to a nightclub might not be an option, but his friend had plenty of other dislikes.

"I don't know about you, but I rather liked it," Hermione walked into the room with two glasses of water. She handed one to Sirius, and then sat cross-legged on the rug. She bent forward in a stretch, the tip of her nose nearly touching the floor. Sirius decided he must be dying if he didn't have the energy to appreciate her flexibility.

"Remus’s taking a shower. He can't hear you."

"What do you mean?" Hermione was still focused on her stretch.

"Aren't you sucking up to the teacher?"

She sat up, her face angry, mouth ready to yell, but softened when she saw his grimace. "Poor Sirius. It's not so easy to race in human form, is it?"

"I would have won if Remus hadn't called four legs cheating," he grumbled.

"He's an evil man," she agreed as she twisted her body slowly to each side. "I'm sorry you got stuck with making dinner all week."

"And the dishes," he pouted.

"And the dishes," she echoed. Her tone was sympathetic look, but he caught the twinkle in her eye.

* * *

 

An hour later, her hair damp from her shower, and dressed in a pair of flannel pajama pants and one of Harry’s old Quidditch jerseys, Hermione stretched on her bed. Her muscles were completely relaxed and her brain was quiet. For the first time in … well, a long time … she felt still. Thoughts weren't racing through her mind, moments she'd lived through on constant repeat as she second-guessed every decision made during battle. Rubbing her scarred arm in an unconscious gesture she had no idea broke Sirius' heart every time she did it, Hermione seriously considered adding running to her daily schedule.

She ignored the pile of parchments she’d brought home from work Friday and picked up a paperback from the stack piled on her nightstand instead. She told herself she’d read one chapter, then do some work. That was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep.

"See?" Remus whispered from Hermione's doorway. He nudged Sirius with his shoulder. "Exercise reduces stress."

Hermione was curled in a ball on her side, one hand under her pillow, the other still holding her book, one finger marking the page. Sirius entered the room and grabbed the knitted afghan in Gryffindor's colors – obviously the work of Molly Weasley – from the rocking chair by Hermione's desk and covered the sleeping witch. He made sure to tuck the blanket under her bare feet, which tended to get cold. He took the paperback from her hand with the intention of putting it on the nightstand, but then he saw the cover. His eyebrows raised at the image of two barely-clothed people locked in a passionate embrace.

"Moony!" He hissed, gesturing to the man still leaning against the doorway.

Remus walked over, knowing any attempts to ignore Sirius would be futile. "What?"

"Check out what our girl reads in the privacy of her own room." He handed over the book.

Remus glanced down, a smile on his face as he took in the image. He flipped the book over and skimmed the description, his grin growing. "The next time Hermione suggests you read a book, you should take her up on it," he told his friend. He set the book on the nightstand and grabbed Sirius by the arm, pulling him from the room. "You might learn something."

Remus walked down the hall to his own room, whispering softly under his breath. Sirius stared at his best friend's retreating back, waiting until he was sure Remus was out of earshot before he tiptoed back into Hermione's room and snatched the book from the table. Minutes later he was relaxed on his own bed with the dog-eared book in his hands.

* * *

 

"Hermione? Sweetheart, wake up now."

Remus kneeled on the floor next to Hermione's bed. One hand was lightly rubbing her shoulder, the other was braced on the floor, ready to duck. Hermione tended to hex first, ask questions later when waking from a deep sleep or nightmare. Both Remus and Sirius had similar responses, which is why rousing any of them was a chore the others avoided. However, it was Sunday night and they were expected at the Weasley's for dinner in less than an hour. Remus would rather risk a hex than upset Molly. "Hermione? Honey, we have to leave soon."

"Hmmpf," was the girl's response.

With trepidation, Remus slowly moved until he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He brushed Hermione's hair from her face, happy to see the shadows under her eyes looked a bit lighter. He rubbed her shoulders again, a little harder, and gently shook her. He hadn't seen Sirius in hours. If he was asleep, too, it would be a miracle if they arrived at the Burrow on time.

"Come on, Hermione; wake up."

"Hmm … Remus?"

"It's me."

"I know," she sighed, eyes still closed. "It's always you."

Remus furrowed his brow, not sure what she meant by that. True, Sirius tended to just bang on the door until Hermione yelled at him to go to hell, but he rushed to her room to comfort her after a nightmare as often as Remus did.

"Sweetheart, are you waking up?"

No response. Remus sighed, hating himself for what he was about to do. He slid his hand under her pillow and grasped Hermione's wand, slowly sliding it from her fingers. He placed it on her nightstand, then moved his hands too her sides. He took a deep breath and started tickling.

"Merlin!" Hermione shrieked. She rummaged under her pillow, fear turning to anger when she noticed Remus sitting on her bed. "Are you trying to kill me?" She gasped.

"Sorry, love. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't and -"

She looked around the darkened room, confused.

"What time is it?"

"Just after 5."

"I've been asleep for five hours?!"

"Not just you. I have to go wake up Sirius now."

Hermione flopped on her bed, slapping her arm over her eyes when Remus turned on the lights with a swish of his wand. He placed hers on her stomach, and ran a finger down an exposed foot, chuckling when she jerked it out of his reach. The twins liked to joke that if the Death Eaters had known how ticklish Hermione was, the war would have ended a lot differently.

"Get moving, sweetheart. We need to leave soon."

Pretending not to hear the curse she muttered, he walked to Sirius' door, knocked twice, waited a minute and slowly opened it. Like Hermione, Sirius was sound sleep, only the lights were still on, a book resting on his stomach. Remus glanced at the cover and shook his head. He’d gotten further in his reading than Hermione had.

Remus stepped back in the hall and slammed the door closed. He jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the burst of blue light that shot through the wood. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" Remus called. "We need to leave for dinner in 30 minutes."

Sirius didn't bother to mumble his cursing.

* * *

 

"Come in, everyone, come in!" Arthur Weasley opened the front door wider, a large smile on his round face. He shook Remus’ hand and clapped Sirius on the shoulder, but his merry eyes lit up when his attention turned to the girl he considered his second daughter. He enfolded Hermione in his arms, lifting her slightly off the floor. Hermione held on, squeezing back just as hard. It didn't matter she saw him nearly every day at work. Sunday night was family night and the Weasley family greeted each other with hugs, no matter how often they saw each other.

"How are you, dearest?" Setting Hermione down, he studied her carefully, noting that she looked well-rested for once.

"I'm fine, Mr. Weasley."

"Come now, you're an adult. Call me Arthur!"

Hermione shook her head with a smile. She could never address Arthur and Molly as anything but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Luckily, Harry felt the same way.

With an affectionate sigh, Arthur rubbed his head over Hermione's curls, eyes traveling to the ceiling at the crash overhead. "That would be the boys.”

"Which ones?" Remus helped Hermione with her coat.

"All of them."

"Even Charlie?" Sirius ignored the spark of interest in Hermione's eyes at Charlie's name. The second-oldest Weasley rarely came back for family dinners. He always returned for Christmas, weddings and other noted family events, but his work with the dragons was too important to leave every week.

"Yes, we're a full house tonight," Arthur announced. "Come on, let's sit." Arthur threw an arm around Sirius and led him into the crowded family room, Remus following.

"I'm going to say hi to Mrs. Weasley." Hermione detoured to the kitchen. It was filled with the scent roast beef, mashed potatoes, freshly-baked bread, and chocolate cake. In the middle of the chaos, a short, plump witch with bushy red hair stacked glasses on the oversized kitchen table, eyes narrowed as she used her wand to move each cup to its proper place. Hermione waited for Molly to finish before clearing her throat.

"Hermione! When did you get here, dear?"

"Just now," she returned Molly’s hug and kiss. "What can I do to help?"

The question had just left her mouth when there was a loud explosion. Both women could hear Ron's bellows over the twins' laughter.

"You could control my children for the next 10 minutes. I swear, the older they get, the harder they are to manage. And Harry! He used to be such a quiet boy."

Hermione smiled. "I'll handle it."

"I know you will, dear. Thank you."

She ducked through the dark and cramped hallways on her way to the staircase. She passed the living room and gave a quick wave to the three men conversing by the fireplace. She didn’t notice the two pairs of eyes that followed her as she walked up the stairs. Arthur did. He cleared his voice to bring them back to the conversation. He was going to have to talk to Remus and Sirius. He knew that. He was the closest thing Hermione had to a father, so it was his responsibility to make sure his girl was OK. The thought of it, though, made him squirm.

"Are you OK, Arthur? You look pale." Remus peered at his friend's face.

"I'm fine, fine," he replied. "Having everyone home – it can be taxing."

As if on cue, a second explosion sounded. The blast caused a vase on the fireplace mantle to crash to the floor. Arthur used his wand to repair it before Molly saw it.

He loved Sunday dinners.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione knocked on the closed door, chuckling under her breath at the sound of several bodies rushing around the twins' old bedroom. Eyes sparkling with mischief, she took out her wand and whispering a quick spell so that her voice mimicked Molly's.

"I am counting to three and if this door does not open, I guarantee all nine of you – this includes you, Fleur and Harry – will be sorry!"

Fleur's squeak of indignation made her snicker. Hermione ended the spell a second before the door opened, revealing a disheveled Percy.

"Mum! I told them -" he began, stopping when he realized the woman he feared above all was not at the door.

It was the second woman he feared.

"Blimey, Hermione," he released his breath and stepped back to allow her inside. "You do know how to stop a man's heart."

"In more ways than one!" George yelled from his perch on his bed, an upside down book in his hands. Fred was in a similar pose on his bed, only it was he and Ginny pretending to read a parchment, again upside down as it was the first thing they grabbed in their flight to assume innocent poses.

Charlie, Bill and Fleur sat in a circle on the floor, playing cards haphazardly sprung about, while Ron and Harry looked up from their chessboard.

"I know your mother is not as obsessed with chess as you, Ron, but even she'd realize none of the pieces are where they ought to be," Hermione wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders and kissed him fondly on the cheek.

"Bloody hell," he exhaled with a sigh. "Please don't ever use that spell again."

"It's pretty great, isn't it?" Hermione grinned. She was too busy being smug to block the pillows thrown at her. A pile of bodies followed, an all-out wrestling and tickling war declared as some of the brightest witches and wizards of their time reverted back to the simple pleasures.

"CHILDREN!" Molly Weasley yelled. "Stop right now!"

"Nice try, Hermione,” Fred yelled. He pulled off her left shoe and tickled her foot. Hermione fell back on the floor, her head knocking against Bill's, who also was on his back, his small wife on top of him, trying to rub a discarded sock in his face.

Ron and George had ganged up on Charlie, the threesome wrestling in the corner, bodies crashing into furniture, while Harry, Ginny and Percy were covered in feathers, thanks to the pillows they continued to swing at each other.

"It's not me," Hermione gasped between laughter. "Fred! It's your mum -"

"Like any of us are thick enough to fall for that again!" Harry yelled, abandoning Ginny to help Fred torment his best friend.

"Harry James Potter, you leave that girl alone THIS INSTANT!"

Everyone stopped. As one, their heads turned to meet the eyes of Molly Weasley who stood in the doorway, cheeks flushed, her wand at the ready. Arthur, Remus and Sirius were behind her.

"Mum -" Ginny started,

"Don't you 'Mum' me, young lady," Molly replied sternly. She didn’t acknowledging the quick intake of breathe her children took at the words 'young lady.' Those two words injected more fear in the siblings than any punishment or hex. "I have spent all day making dinner for my family and this is the thanks I get! Each and every one of you is an adult! It is high time you start acting like it!"

She turned on her heel and pointed a finger at her husband, who quickly replaced his grin with a stern look. "That goes for you, too!"

She pushed her way past the three men and stomped downstairs. No one moved, waiting for Remus, who had the best hearing out of all of them, to acknowledge it was safe to talk.

"She's in the kitchen.”

As one, ten bodies released their breath, their bodies slumped in relief. Downstairs, Molly finished setting the table, humming quietly with a smile on her face.

She loved Sunday dinners.

* * *

 

They say war changes a person, but no one expected Percy Weasley to change as much as he did. The former Hogwarts Prefect who loved rules and order, and once considered the fun-loving lifestyle he grew up in the lowest form of living, was a new man. Some think it was his brush with death in the final battle that changed him, when really it was the weeks of recovery after. He'd watch in envy as visitor after visitor appeared at Fred's bedside. He noted the lively conversations his brother had with their family; the same people who would simply sit by Percy's bed, grateful to have him there, but not sure how to express it.

"Bloody hell!" Fred had yelled from his bed across their shared room at St. Mungo’s after watching George and Run struggle to have a conversation with Percy. "He may as well be dead for the way you act around him!"

His outburst made Percy laugh for the first time in, well, a long time. He found himself letting out the breath he’d been holding for years. Slowly, the walls he’d built between him and his family crumbled. Not willing to go back to the Ministry after witnessing its corruption firsthand, Percy settled for a small apartment in Wizarding London. He spent his days as a researcher for the twins', helping the pair bring some of their wildest ideas to life. The change suited him, although it was still unsettling to realize Percy was part of the brains behind Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes.

"Stranger things have happened," Ron murmured to Hermione as they watched Percy and the twins demonstrate their newest invention – a tiny rubber ball, similar to what muggle children use when playing jacks – that moved according to the amount of energy in a room. The wilder the residents, the faster the fall bounced from floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall.

"I'm afraid I don't understand the point," Fleur ducked her head as the ball flew past her. It crashed into the pile of quills and parchment Ginny just stacked on the bureau.

"There is no point," Percy said. "That's what makes it fun."

"No, knowing this little thing has the potential to drive adults batty is what makes it fun," George corrected, his eyes never leaving the tiny red ball as it bounced toward Harry. He plucked it from the air, his Seeker skills still strong.

"Thanks mate!" Fred said cheerfully. He took the ball and dropped it into a glass of water, the only way to keep it still.

"I'm so glad you didn't invent that when we were in school," Hermione said from her perch on Fred's bed, Ron on her right side, Charlie on her left. "Can you imagine the destruction?"

"Exactly," the twins said.

"Dinner!" Arthur hollered up the stairs. The announcement caused nearly every Weasley to dash out the door. Luckily, Bill (barely) remembered his wife and helped her off the floor first. Harry, though, was left in the dust as Ginny raced her brothers down the stairs. "Coming, Hermione? Charlie?"

"In a minute," she answered, looking at Charlie who nodded in confirmation.

Harry left. As soon as he shut the door, Charlie pounced on Hermione, pressing her against the bed, his hands tangled in her hair, his lips against hers in a demanding kiss. Hermione brought her jean-covered legs up around his waist. She pressed her heels against his back as she thrust upward, feeling his length at the apex of her thighs.

"Christ, Hermione!" Charlie gasped; breaking away to trail kisses down her neck, pushing his body into hers as much as he could through the barrier of their clothes. Hermione responded by trailing her hands down his back. She cupped his backside, forcing him to move harder. "I've missed you."

"You saw me at Christmas.” She arched her neck to give Charlie better access.

He nibbled on her collarbone, sliding one hand from her hair to cup her breast. His scarred and calloused fingers plucked at her nipple through the thin cotton of her long-sleeved shirt. Hermione sighed in pleasure and waited for his hands to travel under her shirt to touch her more freely. When he didn't move, she grabbed his face in her hands, her tongue sliding past his lips. Not breaking the kiss, she twisted on the bed and forced Charlie to his back, her legs bracketing his lean waist. Charlie copied Hermione's earlier move and slid his arms down her back, gripping her hips to hold her still as he drove his body upward, the heels of his boots pressed against the bed.

"We have … to go … to dinner," Hermione panted between kisses, but unable to stop herself from rutting against Charlie’s. She ground her body into his, desperate for release. Charlie watched her eyes glaze, knowing he could see her explode in pleasure within seconds if he kept moving.

But where's the fun in that?

Charlie sat up and lifted Hermione off of him, ignoring her cry of protest and his own aching need. He stood and adjusted his clothing, running his fingers through his hair in attempt to bring order to the disheveled mane, and grinned at Hermione's confused expression. "Come on, love," he held out a hand, pulling her up when she took it. Looking down, he couldn't help but smile at her pouting lips. Ignoring her narrowed eyes, he kissed the top of her forehead and dragged her from the bedroom, stopping at the bathroom at the top of the stairs. "You might want to freshen up first.”

"You think this is funny, Charlie Weasley?" Hermione hissed.

He pressed her against the wall and grabbed her chin in one hand before pressing his lips against hers in another bruising kiss. "Think of it as payback for my birthday," he whispered against her lips before he turned to walk downstairs.

Hermione slumped against the wall as she waited for her heart to stop racing and her temper to cool. Her fling with Charlie -- for that's all it could be called as they often went months without seeing each other -- started during her sixth year at Hogwarts, when fear made Hermione seek out Ron's older brother for comfort. She gave him her virginity freely, knowing he was too tied to his job to ever consider her as more than shag when the need suited them. Not many people were aware of Charlie's dominant side, his need for complete control trumping Hermione's own desire to call the shots. With him, she could truly let go – she had no choice – and just feel. Even in her darkest moments, Hermione knew if it wasn't for Charlie, there's no way she'd be holding it together as well as she was.

It was fortunate a trip to Romania to converse with a group of witches regarding an untranslated prophecy fell on Charlie's birthday. Lonely, frustrated and filled with bravery brought on by foreign alcohol, Hermione showed up at his flat wearing nothing under her cloak, giving him no time to react as she tackled him to the ground, taking him into her body, riding fiercely until she screamed with relief. She leaned forward for a chaste kiss on the lips before she forced herself to her feet and apparated home.

Hermione knew she'd be punished for her behavior. She relished the fact, actually. She waited all of Christmas Day for his revenge. Instead, he snuck into her room at Grimmauld Place and had his way with her until her voice was hoarse from screaming and his back was covered with scratches from her fingernails. They lacked the energy to make it to her bed as they and slumped on the floor in exhaustion. He was gone when she woke the next morning in her bed, the covers pulled over her naked, bruised body.

She should have known he'd get back at her when she least expected it.

With a huff, Hermione flounced into the bathroom. She fixed her clothes and hair until she looked presentable, muttering a quick spell to hide the evidence of Charlie's kisses on her neck. She leaned against the sink, her hands clenched on the cool porcelain, and counted by sevens until her until her body was relaxed and she could fake her way through dinner. No spell, however, could erase the glimmer of anger, coupled with sexual frustration and excitement, in her eyes; a look both Remus and Sirius noticed when she took her seat at the table.

"Down, Padfoot," Remus murmured, his eyes on friend's white-knuckled grip on his fork as he glared at Charlie, who was talking to Percy and Arthur without a care in the world.

Sirius sighed and accepted the glass of wine handed to him by Ginny, emptying the goblet in one swallow.

It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always picture my family when I think about the Weasleys. I'm one of six kids and when we get together for the holidays, we totally revert to how we were when we all lived together. We seriously bring up fights that our older than some of my nephews! My dad just watches with this smile on his face while Mom yells at us. Good times.


	6. Chapter 6

"At least tomorrow night's dinner is taken care of,” Sirius said as he stored the pile of leftovers Molly forced him to take in the refrigerator. He opened the cupboard doors and searched for the collection of paper plates and plastic silverware he purchased at a Muggle grocery store the last time he was saddled with dish duty.

Housework spells never were his strong suit.

Hermione watched from the doorway. She still felt twitchy after her encounter with Charlie. He didn't speak to her for the rest of the night – not even making eye contact as she helped Molly serve dessert – and left with the twins shortly after. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and wondered if he'd make another appearance in her bedroom. If so, she was going to make damn sure he regretred his earlier behavior. "I'm off to bed."

Sirius turned away from the cupboard. "It's not even nine.”

"I'm tired."

"You slept most of the day," Remus brushed by Hermione's side as he entered the kitchen. She sucked in a deep breath at the brief contact of his arm against the side of her breast. Merlin, she was so turned on. If she didn't leave now … She didn’t want to finish that thought. She couldn’t finish that thought. Hermione turned on her heel and ran upstairs, calling good night over her shoulder.

"Fucking Charlie Weasley," Remus muttered.

Sirius gave a bark of laughter, happy to know he wasn't the only one suffering. "I'm pretty sure that didn't happen, hence that,” he said with a pointed look at the ceiling after Hemione slammed her bedroom door closed.

"Who's to say we're not going to get a repeat of Christmas?" Remus asked.

The two men grimaced, remembering every breathy moan, every scream they'd overheard before apparating to the first club Sirius could think of. They spent the night wrapped up in a witch neither one could name the next morning.

"Feel like going out?" Sirius asked.

"Not really."

A resounding thud over their heads made both men look overhead. Remus laid his head on the table.

"Silencing charms?" Sirius asked.

"You think?"

Upstairs, Hermione glared at the pile of books she had swept to the floor in frustration after reading the note Charlie had left on her bedside table, next to one long-stemmed red rose.

 _Sweet dreams, Hermione_.

"Fucking Charlie Weasley.” She threw herself on her bed with a groan.

* * *

 

"Have you picked your activity, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up from her dinner plate – leftovers, again – at Remus’ question. She had buried herself in work the past two days, channeling sexual frustration into tying up loose ends on various projects, but she had not forgotten Sirius' plan. She was in desperate need of the distraction.

"Actually, I have. Are you free tomorrow night?"

Both men nodded.

"Great," Hermione said. "Meet me at the Ministry at 6. We can grab a quick bite -"

"That counts for the bet, Remus," Sirius interrupted.

"- and go to the place."

"And where are we going, love?"

Hermione smiled at Sirius.

"Wear old clothes," she replied.

* * *

 

"No."

Sirius stood on the sidewalk, jaw set, his arms crossed over his chest in a stubborn stance.

"No, what?" Hermione asked innocently.

"I'm not going in there."

"You have to, Padfoot. This is Hermione's pick."

"I said 'No knitting,' Moony."

"This isn't knitting," he gestured to the small shop on the corner of the London street. "It's painting."

"Painting. Knitting. They're all the same."

"No, darling, one involves needles and the other a brush, but I understand how you might get confused," Hermione replied as if she was speaking to a child. A slow child, at that.

She ignored Sirius' low growl as she linked her arm through his. Tugging slightly, she pulled him closer to the entrance of the Muggle art shop, which offered step-by-step painting lessons, with students recreating classic masterpieces over the course of the evening. Hermione wasn't the creative type, but it was the only activity she could think of that would make Sirius squirm without breaking the rules.

She took Remus' hand and dragged both into the brightly-lit studio. Her lips turned up in a knowing smirk when she realized when they were the only males present, her smug expression growing as both men tensed under the looks of appreciation the other women gave them.

She was feeling better already.

* * *

 

"I don't know while you're still complaining," Hermione said a few hours later. They were back at Grimmauld Place, scrunched together on the couch as they scrutinized the canvasses Hermione propped on the fireplace mantel. "Yours is obviously the best one."

The night's lesson was _Starry Night_ , a painting so famous, even Sirius was aware of it. The three had perched on their stools and followed the instructor's directions. Their attempts at turning their blank canvasses into the colorful night sky resulted in varying degrees of success. Hermione had expected Remus to excel at the activity. He was the cultured one, after all, but his finished product resembled the twins' work lab after a prank gone wrong. Her own painting wasn't much better. Sirius, though, had managed to capture the swirls of light and dark, his mix of blues and yellows blended fluently. The instructor loved it, going do far as to hold it up for everyone to see. Remus laughed so hard, he nearly fell off his stool.

"I've been telling you I'm the best for years." Sirius was secretly pleased with his creation. The night wasn't nearly as horrible as he expected. The instructor was patient and the other women funny. Watching Hermione struggle to paint a simple circle on her canvas went a long way in easing the tension he’d had since Sunday.

"What do we do with them?" Remus asked.

Hermione turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"We're not leaving them there, are we?"

She giggled at his horrified expression. "Not yours," she replied. "Nor mine."

"Then not mine, either," Sirius stated. "I'm not going to be the only one Molly lectures on artistic development and the need for a creative outlet. Next thing you know, _she'll_ be giving me knitting lessons."

Laughing because it was true, Remus opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he saw Hermione asleep, her chest rising and falling with deep, even breaths.

"Huh. Either your plan is working and she's getting back to a normal sleep schedule or we're boring prats."

"I've been called many things, Moony. Boring was never one of them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Charlie is such a tease.


	7. Chapter 7

"Oi! Hermione!"

Hermione glanced around Diagon Alley, looking for the source of the call. A second later, Ron tackled her from behind. He swung her up in his arms for a quick twirl. Her feet had just touched the street when Harry swept in, dipping Hermione low to the ground.

"Aren't you both clever?" She laughed as she tucked loose curls under her bright purple stocking hat before hugging them both. With her face buried in their necks, she didn't notice the relieved looks that passed between her friends. Neither knew what happened in the last two weeks to transform Hermione from a former ghost of herself to the laughing witch with color in her cheeks and, judging from their impromptu dance moves, a few added pounds -- not that they were daft enough to mention _that_.

"What are you up to this fine afternoon?" Ron asked.

"Channeling a bit of Fred today, are we?" Hermione linked her arms through his and Harry's, and continued her walk to Flourish and Blotts.

Ron grinned. "It always works for him."

"You have your own charm, Ronald," Hermione told him. Harry snorted.

"Shut it, mate," Ron said without heat. "Seriously, we haven't seen you in forever."

"A week isn't forever."

"It feels like it," Harry argued. "I can't believe you're on sabbatical."

A shadow crossed Hermione’s face. Briefly. "It's not by choice, Harry. Kingsley said I had to take my vacation time or lose it. When I told him I'd lose it, I got an hour long lecture on the importance of caring for one's self."

Ron shuddered.

"Then he told me I didn't have a choice and he'd see me in a month."

"So, what have you been doing with your free time?" Ron asked

"Reading," all three answered as one.

"Yes," Hermione rolled her eyes at her own predictability. "I've gone running with Remus and I'm trying to teach Sirius how to cook something beyond the leftovers your mother gives us."

"Sirius cooking …" Harry said in wonderment.

"Hermione running …" Ron added.

" _Remus_ running …"

"And cleaning," Hermione pushed open the door Flourish and Blotts, heading straight for the housekeeping section. "We finally talked Sirius into doing something with his house rather than let it rot."

"But that's his way of annoying his family in hell," Harry reminded her.

"I think sharing the Noble House of Black with a half-blood werewolf and muggle-born witch is the definitive 'fuck you' on that subject, Harry," Hermione knelt on the dusty floor so she could skim the titles on the lowest shelf. "Besides, when I mentioned finding a place of my own, he promised anything to make me stay."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the word 'anything.'

"So you hit him where it hurts," Ron remarked.

"In a sense," she murmured, again not catching the look Harry and Ron shared.

* * *

 

"You are the biggest pack rat I know," Remus shoved past a collection of furniture to enter the Grimmauld Place attic. The oversized room ran their entire length of the house. A wall of windows on one side illuminated the room in natural light – or they would, once they were cleaned. Hermione had mentioned the space would make an amazing library several times over the years, but it wasn't until she brought up moving out – again – that Sirius jumped on the suggestion.

Two days later, he was beginning to think moving out had his merits – as long as he and Remus got to go with Hermione, too.

"Hey, don't blame me. I was in prison when most of this shit was accumulated," Sirius muttered as he scrutinized the crowded space.

The three had tackled the bedrooms first, clearing out the those not in use with the thought that they could be temporary storage for the furniture and other items Sirius wanted to keep after cleaning the attic, study, kitchen, dining room, living room, and front parlor. Neither Hermione nor Remus listened as Sirius grumbled about not wanting to keep anything his family deemed important, understanding that part of his protest was general bitching; the rest was deep-rooted pain.

Remus walked to an oversized armoire and opened the doors cautiously. He accidentally freed a boggart in from a wardrobe two days ago, unable to tear his eyes from the image of a lifeless Hermione on the ground, her body torn to pieces by the werewolf standing over her. It was Sirius who shouted "Riddikulus!" banishing the boggart back to the abandoned piece of furniture before contacting Arthur for assistance in getting it out of the house.

Remus disappeared for the rest of the day, returning long after Hermione and Sirius were asleep. His clothes were drenched in sweat, his chest heaved with from the exhaustion of running mile after punishing mile, but sleep refused to come as he layed in bed.

"We should just call a rubbish service," Sirius poked through a collection of moth-eaten clothes in a trunk.

"For most of this, sure, but what about Harry?"

"What about me?" Harry entered the room, green eyes widening behind his glasses as he took in the enormity of the room. “Whoa,” he said under his breath.

"I wondered if you wanted any of this," Sirius said.

Harry studied the floppy straw hat Sirius held in his hands. There was a large orange flower on the side. "As dashing as that is, I think I'm good."

Sirius threw the hat at Harry, laughing when he batted it away. "I meant the furniture, smartass. Maybe you and Ginny can take some things for your place."

"Really?" Harry asked. "That would be great Sirius; thanks!"

"Don't thank me, mate,” Sirius caught Harry in a headlock and ruffled his already-messy hair. “I just want to have something to sit on the next time you have us over for dinner."

"There's a catch," Remus shouted from the far side of the attic.

Harry sighed. There's always a catch. "Yeah?"

"You have to help us clear out this room."

He knew he should have gone to London with Hermione and Ron to purchase cleaning supplies.

* * *

 

"I'm telling you, it was the coolest thing I ever saw! One minute, there's a stain, the next minute, it's gone!" Ron babbled as he helped Hermione unload their purchases in the kitchen. Harry, Remus and Sirius sat at the table, so exhausted from the afternoon’s chores that no one had to energy to silence Ron’s constant stream of chatter. Their faces were sweaty, their clothing grimy. Hermione gently brushed a cobweb off of Serius' shoulders on her way to the pantry with a bottle of bleach. The wizard thought briefly of getting up to help, but the ache in his back told him the gesture wouldn't be as gallant as he wanted it to be.

"They call is a Rug Doctor! Hermione, do people actually go to medical school to operate this thing? I mean, it's incredible! I never understood Dad's fascination with muggles' inventions, but this one – Mum would love it!"

"Piece of advice, Ron – never give a woman anything that comes with an extension cord," Hermione told him.

Ron wasn't sure what an extension cord was, but he didn't care enough to ask. He couldn’t get over the things he saw at the home improvement store with Hermione that afternoon. Wasn’t it awesome what Muggles came up with to justify living without magic?

Knowing Hermione would rather he get out of her way then try to help her organize her purchases, he joined the others at the kitchen table. He sipped the lemonade Hermione poured for everyone, grateful he wasn't Harry. He hadn't seen his best friend look that tired in years.

"We aren't moving your stuff today, right?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "No. I know what I like, but Ginny might feel differently."

Ron rolled his eyes. Harry faced Lord Voldemort, but was scared of his baby sister.

"Feel free to take a look, Ron, see if there's anything you want," Sirius yawned. The more stuff hee could pawn off on others, the less he’d have to deal with later.

"Really? Brilliant!" Ron jumped up and ran out the door, his feet heavy on the stairs. Harry and Sirius followed, though their steps were significantly slower. Remus didn't move.

"How are you feeling, Remus?" Hermione poured him a second glass of lemonade.

He looked up from where he was slouched in his chair, face pale, eyes hollow. Hermione knew cleaning out the attic wasn't going to be easy, but the exhausted look on Remus, face went beyond a day of physical labor. "Oh … you know …"

Hermione walked to Remus' chair, placed her hands on his shoulders and started to knead the tension from his body. His head dropped forward in a sigh, groaning as she pressed her thumbs on the tendons in his neck. "Thank you for doing this, Remus."

"Anything for you, love," he murmured.

"It's good for Sirius, too," she continued.

He nodded. He knew what she meant, but he was too tired to talk. Hermione's fingers slid up the sides of his face, into his hair, where she gently massaged his scalp. He couldn't stop the moan that followed. Dear Merlin, if he didn't feel like he’d been hit by a thousand hexes, he'd take Hermione in his arms and …

"Can I ask you for one more favor, Remus?"

"If you don't stop, you can have anything you want." Truer words had never been spoken.

She chuckled softly, her hands sliding down his back, pressing harder when he growled in appreciation. After a couple of minutes, her touch grew lighter, stroking his back, shoulders and neck with a soft caresses that felt like heaven. He felt her breath on his neck before she kissed him gently on his cheek, her hair brushing against the side of his face as she bent down to whisper in his ear. "Can you try and sleep tonight? Please? I don't want you to get sick." She rubbed her cheek against his.

He laughed a little. "Isn't that my line?"

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a friendly hug. "What can I say? You taught me well."

* * *

 

"I’m in love with Molly Weasley," Sirius announced. "If Arthur wasn't such a great man, I'd whisk her off to Paris where we'd live in sin for the rest of our lives." Taking one final bite of bread pudding, he groaned in appreciation for the amazing food Molly gave them in gratitude for the furnishings he'd given Harry, Ginny, and Ron. The pudding, though, was a special thank you for the stained-glass lamp Sirius found during what he was now calling Spring Cleaning from Hell. He told Remus to shove off when he pointed out it was winter. The lampshade was made from bits of glass in varying shades of red. Sirius presented it to Molly during dinner at the Burrow, telling her it reminded him of seeing all the Weasleys at the table, heads together as they talked and laughed and loved and fought. She cried, immediately making him regret his words, and hugged the wizard tightly. Any lingering misgivings she had about his playboy lifestyle disappearing with his kind gesture.

Most of them, anyway.

"You'll have to fight me for her, Padfoot," Remus said. "That woman is amazing."

Hermione was too full to answer, but nodded in agreement.

They sprawled on the hardwood attic floor. The oak was no longer scratched and stained, but glowed a deep brown. The walls were colored a soft gray and the glass windows sparkled. The shelves the men dragged up from the study (“You didn’t drag them, Sirius; you shrunk them!” Hermione pointed out when he insisted she give him a back rub, too.) were placed against the walls, magically charmed to shrink or grow to fit the space perfectly in a floor-to-ceiling creation that made Hermione sigh with happiness very time she walked into the room. They’d spent the day at a furniture store, choosing rugs, couch, chairs, tables and lamps for the space. Remus and Sirius refused to offer input while Hermione studied curtains, wandering over to a pool table to pass the time.

That was going to be delivered tomorrow, too.

"We've let the whole 'Get a life plan' slide while we worked on the house, Sirius," Hermione rolled to her back and stretched. "Are we still doing that, or are we good?"

"Nice try, love," Sirius replied. "Day after tomorrow, it starts again. Be ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I watch too many home improvement shows.


	8. Chapter 8

Hermione was frozen in place, unable to lift her feet from where they were planted on the cement floor – not that she wanted to try. She ignored the conversations around her, the laughter and shrieks of excitement. She was idly aware of Ginny's arm around her waist and words shouted in her ear, but she couldn't open her mouth to reply.

"Hermione?" Remus appeared in front of her, a concerned look on his face that, despite his promise to take a sleeping potion, still looked fatigued.

"I don't want to do this, Remus," she whispered.

"Sweetheart –"

"I DON'T want to do this," she repeated.

Remus looked like he wanted to argue, but because she looked more frightened than angry; he nodded and walked over to Sirius. “Padfoot –“

“In a second, Moony,” he was trying to figure out what Harry was talking about in reference to the Muggle money he had in his hands. They were really going to accept pieces of paper over gold?

"Padfoot."

"I said in a second, Moony," he repeated.

"Sirius."

"Just wait!"

"Sirius!" Remus growled.

His head jerked up. " _What?!"_

Remus gestured to Hermione, who had yet to move, her pale skin a few shades lighter than normal.

"Oh, for the love of …" He pushed the money into Harry's hands and left the line, grabbing Hermione by the arm and dragging her to a table. He made her sit on the bench and knelt at her feet. Remus would handle the situation with patience and understanding. He wasn't Remus. "Scared?"

She glared at him. "I don't like heights, Sirius."

"I don't like painting,” he shrugged. “I still did it."

"This isn't the same."

"The hell it isn't! You deliberately chose something you knew I'd hate. I did it with minimal fuss."

She snorted, the sound making Sirius grin. Oh yeah, she was going to be fine.

"Love, this place is crawling with little kids. One girl is having her birthday party right over there," he gestured to a table across the room covered in presents, yellow and purple balloons tied to the back of each chair. "Do you really think parents would choose a dangerous location for a child's party?"

"You would," she said mulishly.

Standing up, he ruffled her hair. "You're a Gryffindor, love. You're doing this."

She watched him walk back to the counter. How dare he look so confident amongst all the Muggles? "Bastard.”

* * *

 

"Right, so who's going first?"

Everyone looked at Sirius, who had a harness strapped around his hips, a black helmet covering his hair. He gave Hermione a cocky grin and sauntered toward the instructor, listening intently to the last-minute instructions. Once the pulley was attached was attached to his harness, he approached the indoor rock climbing wall, grasped a handhold, and shimmied up the structure, his shoes confidently finding footholds, his muscles bulging as he lifted himself higher and higher.

"Go Sirius!" Harry yelled.

Ginny bounced on her heels in excitement, while Fred focused on the stopwatch in Remus' hands.

"89 seconds!" he yelled up to Sirius, who reached the top of the first structure with minimal exertion. Laughing, he pushed off the wall and rappelled down the side gracefully.

"All right," the instructor said once Sirius was back on the ground. "Who's next?"

Ginny rushed forward, her red hair streaming behind her as she shimmied up the wall, beating Sirius' time by four seconds. "Top that, Harry!" she shouted.

One-by-one, Hermione watched her friends conquer the structure. It was labeled the novice course. She was pretty sure the person who named it was mental.

"OK, Hermione, right?"

Hermione nodded absently, not looking at the instructor, as she stared at the wall. She didn't hear the words of encouragement Ginny, Ron and Harry shouted, or the bet George made with Fred. She didn't feel Sirius and Remus watching her intently. All she saw was the wall, looming before her, looking much higher than it had for everyone else.

"… are you ready?" The instructor’s smile was wide. Merlin, he was a sadist. He was enjoying this! She was surrounded by them! What was she doing there? She didn’t belong there!

“What’s the hold up, love?” Sirius called.

His teasing tone snapped Hermione out of her reverie. Screw Sirius Black! She didn’t have to do what he said. It was an arrangement, a silly deal made after too many drinks. She could walk away right now and no one would say anything. She was brave. She’d proved that time and time again. She didn’t need to shimmy up a wall supported by nothing more than a couple of ropes to maintain her reputation.

“Hermione.” Harry was at her side. “You don’t have to do this. We understand.”

His empathy snapped Hermione out of her reverie. He thought she couldn’t do it! She’d show him. Shed show everyone! She walked to the wall and placed her hand on two red holds.

"Begin!"

She tuned everything out and pulled herself up, her right foot finding a hold eight inches off the ground. She shifted her focus to the left, moving up a few inches more. Reaching above her, she grasped two more handholds and started the process again, careful to look up, never down. Her legs threatened to buckle under her. Her arms shook with effort. Perspiration gathered at the base of her neck, a single line trailing down her back. Dammit, now her nose itched.

"I hate you, Sirius Black," she muttered.

She pulled herself up another foot.

"Damn narcissistic wizard," she hissed.

Two more feet.

"So bloody arrogant."

Three feet.

"He’s a right bastard."

"You do know she's cursing you, right?" Remus asked they watched Hermione fight her way up the wall. She didn't move with the confidence Sirius had shown, the enthusiasm of Ginny or Remus' concentration, but utter determination. Anyone who happened to look over would know this girl didn't give up.

"I expect nothing less." He smiled broadly when Hermione reached the top, her face lighting up as she looked down at him triumphantly, victory flashing in her eyes. "There she is," he murmured.

Remus watched as she rappelled down the side, her head thrown back in ecstasy. He slung his arm around his friend’s shoulders, feeling lighter than he had in a long time. "I knew she wasn't all the way gone."

Sirius looked at Remus earnestly. "Neither are you."

He nodded, knowing exactly what Sirius meant. "Nor you, Padfoot," he said hoarsely.

"Merlin!" Hermione shouted as she threw herself at both men and hugged them tightly. "That was brilliant! Let's go again!"

* * *

 

"I don't know how you're going to top that, Moony," Sirius remarked, his eyes on the cue ball as he lined up his shot.

They'd spent the afternoon at the gym, the entire group pushing themselves to climb walls with higher levels of difficulty. No one wanted to be the first to back down. Unsurprisingly, it was Ginny who outlasted them all, the tiny Quidditch player showing no fear no matter the obstacle.

"It was a good pick." Remus leaned on his pool stick.

"She's the kind of girl who needs adventure in her life.” He grunted in frustration when he missed his shot. He walked over to the bar and lifted his glass of firewhiskey, sipping slowly as Remus studied the table's layout.

"She had nothing but adventure for years," Remus pointed out.

"Exactly my point. She might think she wants a quiet life, but the fact is she's conditioned for more than that."

Remus sunk two balls before he turned his focus to his friend. He knew Sirius had feelings for Hermione, feelings that went beyond friendship and even simple lust. Sirius never had a problem catching women or keeping them once they were his; he just never cared enough to make the effort beyond the chase. Hermione, though … she just might be the exception. "Should we talk about this?"

Sirius finished his drink. "About what?"

"Hermione."

"Moony."

"What? You love her."

He leaned against the bar and crossed his arms over his chest. "As do you."

Remus nodded.

"How long?" Sirius asked. "How long have you loved her?"

Remus ran his fingers through his hair. He threw his stick on the table. If they were going to do this, he was going to drink. "Since her graduation?" he asked, as if he couldn't pinpoint an exact time he didn't love her. "Before, she was just Hermione, an amazingly brilliant young witch, but nothing more than Harry's friend."

"So, what changed?"

"Well … she grew up."

Both men grinned ruefully, thinking of Hermione's sift skin, slender figure, full breasts and hair that went on for miles. Sirius had lost count the number of times he's wanted to grab a handful of her curls and wrap them around his wrist so he could pull her head back and feed on her full lips as he pounded into her from behind. Remus fantasized about taking Hermione against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms gripping his shoulders while he sank his fingers into her hips, sliding her up and down his length until she fell apart in his arms.

"You?" Remus asked.

"Moving day," he said. "She dropped a box of books on my foot and lectured me about the dangers of a cluttered staircase. She had her hands on her hips and that know-it-all look on her face and I … I wanted her. I wanted her more than I ever wanted anyone."

"But now it's more than that?"

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn’t the best at talking about feelings. "She makes me happy. I feel, I don't know, lighter when she's around. We can be fighting, laughing, eating – we don't have to be doing anything, and I'm happy. She's my light."

Remus nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Same for you?" Sirius asked.

"She makes me want to be a better man. No, she makes me believe I'm a better man. She has never considered me less than human and us furious when she catches me feeling sorry for myself. When James and Lily died, and you were gone … it was hard to hold on. I wanted to be around for Harry, if he needed me, but then you came back and, honestly, I thought maybe it was a sign that my time was served and I could just go."

Sirius watched his friend, knowing death was always on the back of his mind. Not the fear of dying, but the peace Remus hoped it would bring.

"But then Voldemort came back and we had to fight again and this witch, this tiny little thing with bushy hair and buck teeth, would come running to me with demands for ideas, for plans, for help. It was like she knew I wanted out and she wasn't going to let me. Even when we won, she gave me this look, like if I didn't stay; I was nothing but a disappointment. So, I stayed. I stayed to prove to her I could. Then I stayed to prove to myself I could.” Remus took a deep breath. “Now I stay because I don't want to be anywhere else."

Sirius held up his glass and the two toasted, tossing back the liquor, slamming the glasses down on the bar.

"So what do we do?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one, Moony? We stay."

"Right, but Hermione …"

"Remus, you are my best friend. Basically, and keep in mind this could be the alcohol talking, the other love of my life. If I didn't have you, I don't know what I'd do."

He grinned. "Ditto, with an emphasis on the alcohol."

"Two men who have gone through everything we have, who have shared as much as we have, why shouldn't we be lucky enough to love the same woman?” Sirius knew it wasn’t common, but just because it didn’t happen all that often didn’t mean it was wrong. Maybe it meant it was _right_. “When you think about it, _really_ think about, it makes perfect sense. We both can give her what she wants without worrying that we're not enough."

Sirius always knew how to make the impossible sound possible. "There's one flaw in the plan, Padfoot."

"Seeing each other naked?"

Remus laughed. "The amount of women we've shared? We crossed that bridge a long time ago."

"So … the girl?" Sirius asked.

"And Charlie Weasley."

"Yeah, well … Hermione goes back to work in a couple weeks. Let's focus on getting her back, 100 percent back, and then we'll take care of Charlie."

Remus narrowed his eyes. "When you say 'Take care of Charlie,' you mean …"

"I'm not a violent man, Moony, but I get what I want."

Remus took a deep breath. He didn’t always get what he wanted, but maybe that was because he never wanted something, someone, this much before. "Me, too."

"So, a toast to Charlie," Sirius filled up their glasses once more. "He's a good man, but he's not us."

Remus lifted his glass. "To Charlie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Charlie never had a chance.


	9. Chapter 9

The scent of butter filled the kitchen, a large ceramic bowl filled with popped kernels on the table. Ginny sat in a seat, feet propped up on the arm of her chair, absently munching a handful while she studied her friend. "So … movie night?"

"Movie night," Hermione answered.

"I didn't even know you had a telly."

"It's new. After we did the attic – don't you love it?"

"I do every single time you ask me, Hermione," Ginny answered with a grin.

"Right. Well, after we did that, we had to do something with the study, so Remus suggested we make that the game room – billiards table, card table, and bar. Guy stuff," she finished with a roll of her eyes. Ginny nodded in understanding. "The living room is still the living room, just less fussy. Sirius doesn't break into hives when he walks in there, so that's an improvement, but we really didn't need a parlor, so they had the idea to make it a media room.” She sprinkled a little salt on the popcorn. “I think Remus likes cartoons more than he'll admit."

"You mean Sirius," Ginny corrected.

Hermione smiled. "Nope, I mean Remus."

"Really?" Ginny laughed. "I don't know why, but that's perfect!" She helped herself to another handful of popcorn. "I love the new dining room."

"Useless space. We eat here all the time; well, when we're not scratching the door at your parents' house."

"Mum loves it. Why do you think we all still have bedrooms there?"

"Oh, speaking of, we re-did Harry's room. He took most of the furnishings, but we had enough to set it up basically the same, with a few things I knew you'd like."

Ginny jumped up. "I have a room?!"

"Well, a room with Harry but –"

Ginny took off before Hermione could finish, leaving a trail of popcorn in her wake. Hermione laughed and followed her friend, using her wand to pick up the fallen kernels and toss them in the trash bin. When she arrived at Harry’s room, Ginny was bouncing on the bed in delight.

"I love it!" she cried. "Screw our flat; I want to live here!"

She rolled to her back to better admire the cream-colored walls, crimson curtains, the pair of matching armchairs near the fireplace and oversized bureau with a collection of framed photographs on top. Walking over, she saw duplicates of those on display in her apartment, plus a few others, including one with Hermione, Sirius and Remus at Hermione's graduation. Remus had his arm around Hermione, a proud smile on his face. She was grinning up at him, alternately laughing at whatever Sirius was whispering in her ear, his arm draped around her shoulder. "They love you, you know."

Hermione looked up from straightening the bed. "Who?"

"Remus and Sirius."

"I know."

"No, you don't. They _love_ you."

Hermione scoffed. "You're mad."

"Am I?" Ginny spun in a circle. "Look at this room! Look at this _house_! Sirius Black, the man who only cares about himself, renovated his entire house, a house he hates, just so you wouldn’t move away."

"He has to live here, too. And Remus."

"Let’s talk about Remus, shall we? Do you see the way that man looks at you? It’s like the sun rises and sets in your eyes."

Hermione laughed. "You have got to stop reading those books I've lent you. They're messing with your head."

"Hermione," Ginny took her friend's hands and walked her to the chairs. She pushed her into one and sat in the other. "For someone so smart, you can be truly dense at times. Two men -- two sexy, experienced, gorgeous men -- are _completely_ head over heels for you! You walk into a room, they watch you. You leave a room, they watch you. You aren't in a room, they talk about you. Think about the last three weeks, this whole choose-your-own-adventure thing! They are racking their brains to come up with these adventures just to make you happy."

Hermione shook her head stubbornly. "I don't like heights and Sirius made me go rock climbing."

"And you loved it! You have laughed more in the last month than you have in forever! Even your last year at Hogwarts, you were kind of out it, focused only on studying, cut off from everything else. It's like, it's like you were so scared of losing the people you cared about that you pulled away from us completely."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "Ginny –"

"And that's OK! I mean, it's not OK, but I understand why you did it," Ginny reached over and took Hermione's hands in hers. "I love you so much. You are my sister and if I didn't have you, I wouldn't be happy. It has been so hard watching you try to pretend everything is OK for so long. To be the strong one so Harry and Ron had someone to lean on, but they're fine now. We all are. Now it's time for you to lean on someone." She squeezed Hermione's hands. There was a wicked gleam in her eye. She looked eerily like Fred and George. "I'm just jealous that you're the lucky witch who has two, shall we say _stimulating_ , someones to lean on. And do other stuff with."

Hermione burst out laughing, her face turning red in embarrassment. Ginny joined in, the pair of them falling out of the chairs. Each time they'd calm down, they'd make eye contact and start all over again.

Sirius watched from the doorway, fascinated. He had heard a thump when he got home, followed by a shriek. He had rushed upstairs, worried Hermione had hurt herself. Instead, she was lying on the floor, hair askew, face bright red, her arms wrapped around her waist as she struggled to find her breath. "Ladies," he drawled. Two bodies rolled to their side. Seeing Sirius, both witches started laughing again. "You aren't product-testing for the twins, rare you?"

"No!" Hermione forced herself to sit up and take a deep breath. "Just … it's girl stuff."

"Girl stuff. Right." He studied Hermione, who looked back at him innocently, as did Ginny. "Well … um, Ginny are you staying for dinner?" Sirius asked.

"No, I need to go actually." She hopped to her feet and helped Hermione to hers. "Thank you again for the snack and the tour and the room.” She hugged Hermione tightly. "I love you." She hugged Sirius, too, catching him by surprise.

"She liked her room," Sirius remarked at the petite redhead rushed to floo home.

"She did," Hermione agreed.

"If that's how she reacts for this, imagine what she'll do when Harry finally gets the guts to propose."

* * *

 

"Has he mentioned anything?" Hermione asked later that night. She was sitting in the media room with Sirius. Sirius had his legs propped up on the coffee table, his left arm propped on the armrest with a beer dangling from his fingertips while Hermione sat Indian-style in the middle, the bowl of popcorn in her lap. They were waiting for Remus, who was getting the movie.

"Who?"

"Harry. About proposing."

"Not definitively," Sirius said. "Just little things here and there that make you aware he's thinking about it."

"Hmm …"

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "That's a loaded 'Hmm,' love. Jealous?"

She snorted. "It would be like marrying a brother."

"I meant are you jealous about the idea of it. Marriage?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, it's always something I figured I'd do, eventually, but I'm not in a rush. It's not like there's a long line of suitors to choose from at this time in my life."

Sirius opened his mouth and shut it again. He didn't know what he was going to say. Pick me. Pick Remus. Choose us. Let us make you happy. Shaking his head at the absurdity of it all, he took another pull from his beer. "How long does it take to pick up a bloody movie?"

"Who said anything about picking up a movie," Remus walked into the room. He was wearing his coat.

"You did," Hermione told him. "You picked movie night."

"I did, love, but not here."

Hermione looked at Sirius, confused. He shrugged his shoulders. "What are you up to, Moony?"

"We need to leave. I suggest you both change into something warmer."

* * *

 

"A drive-in theatre? I love it!" Hermione leaned forward in the driver's seat, practically pressing her nose to the glass as they inched along the gravel road in the Weasleys' beat-up station wagon.

"Eyes on the road, love," Sirius said from the backseat, one hand grasping the door handle. He was uncomfortable in cars. His motorcycle was one thing; it didn't have doors, so he could jump if anything went wrong. Cars, though. They were metal caskets.

Hermione pulled the car into the empty lot, backing up so the three of them could watch the movie from the car's rear seat. "I don't understand,” she said as she looked around. “Where are the other cars?"

"There aren't any. This place closed in the 80s." Remus opened the passenger door and got out of the car.

"Then how are we going to watch a movie?" Hermione yelled out his open door.

Remus shut it without answering, walking to the back of the car. Sirius shrugged and got out of the car, too.

"OK then." Hermione got out as well.

Hermione and Sirius watched as Remus charmed the rear seat of the station wagon to increase in size so all three of them would be comfortable. Another wave of his wand and the chilly night air disappeared, as if a cloud of warmth enclosed the three of them. Gesturing for the others to take a seat, Remus mumbled an incantation and the oversized screen 20 feet in front of them lit of the sky.

"This is amazing." Hermione pulled blanket Remus had packed over her legs. "What are we watching?"

"I'll put it to a vote - comedy, drama or horror."

Sirius looked at Hermione, a challenging smirk on his face. "Your pick, love."

Hermione leaned back. "Horror."

Seconds later, Alfred Hitchcock's _Psycho_ appeared on the screen. Hermione pressed the side of her body against Sirius to make room for Remus. He responded by wrapping an arm around her. Remus settled on her right side.

It was the perfect setting for a classic movie of suspense. Hermione watched it years ago, so the fact that she wasn’t paying much attention to the screen wasn’t an issue. How could she? Sirius' fingers slowly running through her hair while Remus’ were drawing lazy circles on the back of her hand. It wasn’t new. They often sat close together. Hermione assumed it was because they were s touch-starved after everything they experienced. It was nice. Comfortable. Relaxing. Or it used to be.

_I'm going to kill Ginny Weasley._


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione couldn't sleep. She wanted to. She _tried_ , but every time she closed her eyes, she pictured Sirius's face above her own, his gray eyes boring into hers as he moved inside her body, hips slowly thrusting, arms braced on either side of her head, never altering the speed no matter how much she begged or how much she cursed. When she tried to flip him over, to take over, Remus was behind her, gripping her arms in one hand, the other caressing down her body to explore the folds of her heat, his lips on her neck, licking, kissing, biting … She'd arch to give him better access and he'd move away. She'd shift to slide his fingers closer to where she needed them and he'd growl in her ear, nip the lobe, and tell her – no, _warn her_ – to be good.

"Augh!" Hermione kicked off the covers and stomped to her bathroom. She turned the shower on cold and stepped under the chilling spray. "Hermione Jean Granger, you will stay in here until you have control of yourself.”

* * *

 

"Get control of yourself," Remus told Sirius as he prowled in circles around the kitchen. It was entertaining at first to watch his friend take out a glass for a drink only to slam the cupboard in frustration. He'd opened the icebox and slammed that, too. Chairs were kicked, curses mumbled, hands raked through his hair. Remus had never seen Sirius so worked up over a woman before.

Good thing misery loves company.

He slid into a chair, clasped hands resting on top of the table. He was the perfect picture of calm. That is, if you didn't notice the tic in his jaw when he recalled how he felt Hermione's pulse jump when he'd brushed his fingers over the inside of her wrist, how her breathing had hitched with each shift of their bodies. Her eyes were dark, hooded, as stared at the screen, but he could tell she was excited. He _smelled_ her excitement. It took every ounce of what little control he had left not to leap on her and –

"What the hell were you thinking?" Sirius growled. "A fucking drive-in movie?"

"I was thinking she needed romance. She never got to do the first-date movie thing."

"I never did the first-date movie thing."

"Poor Padfoot. Are you feeling neglected? I swear, I was thinking of you the whole time."

"Bite me," he said without heat as he dropped into the chair across from his friend. He banged his head on the table, and left it there, breathing deeply. When he lifted his head a few seconds later, there was a playful gleam in his eyes. "She liked it, though. Did you see how fast she ran upstairs when we got home?"

"Did you smell her?"

Two identical smirks transformed into two wicked grins, then two pained expressions as both men realized the long, lonely, night ahead.

"Fancy a run?" Remus asked.

Sirius sighed. "Merlin help me … yes."

* * *

 

It was quiet the next morning, the entire house still despite the late hour as Hermione made her way downstairs. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants, socks, a long-sleeved T-shirt and an old sweatshirt, the layers doing a poor job of keeping her warm after several freezing showers.

She shuffled to the kitchen, stopping when she saw one of the objects of her frustration standing by the table, sipping a cup of tea with an empty bowl in front of him. She watched the tendons of his throat as he swallowed the warm liquid, shifting her focus to his fingers holding the cup. She imagined them gripping her hips as she rose above him –

"REMUS JOHN LUPIN!"

The werewolf spun around, a box of cereal in his hands. "What?!"

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"I _was_ having a quiet breakfast and now I'm going to clean up the kitchen before I go –"

"And just how is putting that box away, still open, cleaning up the kitchen?"

Remus looked down at the package in his hands and flinched. He wasn't a cereal eater, usually, but every now and then he had a craving for the sweet crisps Hermione and Sirius loved. If he forgot to put the box away properly, well what was the harm, really?

Judging by Hermione's red face and narrowed eyes, a lot, apparently.

"You let Sirius yell at me about stale cereal for days!"

Oh yeah.

"You said nothing when I shouted at him!"

They did tend to drag it out.

"And all this time, it was you! YOU! The composed one! The nice one! The one who told us to 'Calm down' and act our age!" She leapt forward and snatched the box of cereal out of Remus' hands. "SIRIUS!"

* * *

 

Sirius buried his head in his pillow. He was having the best dream. Hermione was moaning his name around his cock, her eyes on his as she took him deeper into her throat. She was not shouting at his door, fists pounding against the wood. With a heavy sigh of regret, it raised his wand to undo the locks. He flopped onto his back when she stormed inside. Seconds later, a box of cereal was thrown at him. "What the -"

"Remember our fight about leaving cereal boxes open in the pantry?"

Sirius rubbed his hands over his face. He didn’t like this Hermione. She looked mad. He liked the one from his dream better. "Um, yeah?"

"Remember how you accused me of being inconsiderate?"

He sat up and leaned against the headboard, absently taking a handful of cereal from the box to munch on as he focused on the furious witch. As far as breakfasts in bed went, it wasn't bad. "You were, love. Now fetch me some tea and I'll forgive you."

"It wasn't me!" Hermione hissed.

"I hope you honestly you didn't barge into my room to wrongly accuse _me_. Again."

"I'm not because it wasn't you."

"Finally, the girl sees reason -"

"It was Remus!"

Sirius stopped digging through the box and turned his attention toward Remus. The werewolf was standing in the doorway with a guilty look. "You don't eat cereal.”

"Not usually, no -"

"You told me a grown man has no business eating cereal with a cartoon frog on the box."

"Right, and -"

"You sat there as we yelled at each other about a bloody box of cereal, sipping your tea as happy as you please, and then lectured us about being adults."

He shifted on his feet. "Well, the situation escalated pretty quickly, and I -"

"Oh, I'll show you a situation escalating quickly.” Sirius pushed back the covers, got out of bed and threw a handful of cereal at his friend.

Hermione burst out laughing at the utter ridiculousness in front of her. Remus stood with a dumbfounded expression, several pieces of cereal sticking to his hair. Sirius, wearing nothing but a pair of blue pajama pants, glared at his best friend as if he had committed the greatest act of betrayal.

Two sets of eyes turned to her.

"Do you think this is funny?" Remus asked quietly.

"A little," she smirked.

"You aren't without fault, love," Sirius told her. "You accused an innocent man."

"I hardly think innocent is a word people use when they talk about Sirius Black," Hermione sniffed.

"No," he leered, slowly walking toward her. "They say clever. Cunning." He reached out and snagged Hermione’s arm, pulling her towards him. "They said things that shouldn't be repeated in proper company, words that should only be whispered in the dark.” He bent his head and murmured in her ear. “Do you know why, love?"

Hermione shook her head, unable to tear her eyes away from Sirius, not realizing he had raised an arm behind her.

"Because of this!"

Sirius shook the box of cereal over her head. Puffed wheat rained over Hermione's body. She blinked sugary dust out of her eyes and tackled Sirius to the bed. She grabbed the box from him to retaliate. When she realized it was empty, she crashed it on top of his head again and again.

Laughing too hard to defend himself, Sirius called to Remus, who stepped forward, grabbed Hermione by the waist, and lifted her off his friend. Hermione glared at the man sprawled in front of her, her chest heaving with indignation. Sirius smirked, but she could see something else in his eyes.

Yearning? Desire?

She took a deep breath and focused on the man behind her. Like Sirius, he was wearing pajama pants, but had tossed on a worn T-shirt, too. She could hear his heavy breathing in her hear, feel his need as she pressed, ever so slightly, against him.

_Wasn't that interesting?_

She forced herself to relax and Hermione schooled her features to show nothing but innocence as Remus loosened his grip. She wiggled out of his arms – and yes, she wiggled a bit more than necessary – before walking to the bed to drop a casual kiss on the top of Sirius' head. "I apologize for accusing you, darling.” She loved the way his eyes widened at her use of the endearment. She turned her attention back to Remus and picked a few stray pieces of cereal out of his hair. She rubbed her nose against his, loving the flare of his nostrils as she wrapped her arms around him in an oh-so-casual hug. "You owe us both a box of cereal," she breathed in his ear, nipping lightly on the lobe.

Walking out the door, Hermione felt a sense of power she hadn't experienced in years. She drew her sweatshirt over her head, perfectly aware that doing so lifted the T-shirt she wore underneath, exposing her bare skin. "I'm going to shower. You boys might want to clean up this mess. We have guests coming over later."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editing this thing is painful. I'm beginning to agree with some of the meaner messages I got when this was posted on FF.net.
> 
> Sorry English teachers!

“Love the house, Sirius; it's amazing," Harry told his godfather as they walked downstairs, Sirius having finished giving Harry the grand tour.

"Now do you feel bad for cursing me during the moving process?" Sirius asked with a wounded look.

Harry laughed. "Don't even try it, old man. I know you too well to fall for that."

"Old man?" Sirius grabbed Harry in a headlock and dragged him down the remaining stairs, messing up his already-messy brown hair in the process. "The day you can take me, Mr. Potter -"

"Boys," Hermione called from the kitchen, her tone eerily similar to Molly Weasley's. "When you are finished roughhousing, could you please give me hand?"

Sirius immediately let go, a reaction that made Harry study his godfather closely. No one could ever make Sirius do anything and there he was, in his newly-renovated family home, helping his housemate with refreshments for a gathering of friends. "Scared of Hermione, are ya?"

Sirius glared at him. "Like you aren't."

"True enough."

Walking into the kitchen, the pair picked up the trays Hermione gestured to with one hand, not even turning around from the sink, confident in her knowledge that they would do as directed. She told herself that's why she jumped when a pair of arms slid around her waist a minute later. Recognizing Remus' scent, she allowed herself to lean against him for a minute, smiling when he rested his chin on top of her head.

"What do you want me to do?"

Swallowing the words she wanted to say, Hermione finished charming the dishes in the sink and turned in his arms, loving the hitch in his breath as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I think that's it," she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly on his cheek, rubbing her own against his day-old scruff. Taking his hand, she pulled him out of the kitchen and into the game room, where Sirius was holding court behind the bar, laughing at something George said.

Harry and Ginny were at the billiards table while Fred considered the board games Hermione had stacked on the coffee table, a confused expression on his face as he read the writing on the back of Twister. Dropping Remus' hand, Hermione sat next to Fred on the couch while her frustrated roommate joined Sirius and George at the bar.

"Fancy a drink, Remus?"

"And then some," he replied.

* * *

 

When Ron arrived nearly two hours later, the twins had just lost their third game of billiards to Sirius and Remus.

"We give up!" Fred yelled.

"No one can beat them!" George added.

The four went back to the bar, where the twins reluctantly handed over a pile of coins. Ron took in the scene with a thoughtful look before he glanced at Hermione, sitting at a table on the other side of the room, playing Monopoly with Harry and Ginny. He made his way over and perched on the arm of her chair.

"Where have you been?" she asked, studying the board.

Ron cleared his throat. "Um … I ran into Angelina on my way over here and … well …"

"Ronald Weasley!" Ginny exclaimed. "Were you making time with your brother's ex-girlfriend? An older woman at that?"

He flushed slightly, but couldn't hide his grin. "I'm sorry I'm late," he told Hermione.

She smiled up at him. "You're here now."

Glancing at the foursome at the bar, Ron lowered his voice. "Have they issued the challenge yet?"

"They will," Harry whispered. "Are you in?"

"Always."

Remus studied the four on the other side of the room, his brow lifting in surprise when he couldn't hear whatever they were talking about. "Our favorite trio, plus one, is planning something," he murmured to Sirius.

He cocked his head. Like Remus, he couldn’t catch any of their whispered conversation. “Well, let’s not keep them from it, shall we?" He sauntered to the table and made his presence known by running a hand down Hermione's hair. "Are you winning, love?"

"She always wins," Harry grumbled, one hand on his wand under the table. He quickly ended the silencing spell Hermione cast minutes before.

"Spoilsport." Hermione held out her hand for the rest of his money.

Sirius watched the exchange. "I'm not familiar with …"

"Monopoly," Ginny told him.

"How do you play?" Sirius asked.

"It's a real estate game," Hermione summarized. "The person with the most money and the most property wins."

Sirius shook his head suddenly. "Sorry, love. I dozed off for a minute."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm sure you're great at it, but it sounds dreadfully boring."

"Oh, it can be," Ron said. "Of course, playing most games with Hermione are boring because she always wins."

"Not always," Hermione argued.

"Most of the time," he shot back. "And the ones you can't win, like Wizard's Chess and billiards, you refuse to play."

"Wait, hold on,” Sirius interrupted. “Is that why you've refused to play billiards? You aren't good at it?"

"No, I -"

"Hey, Moony!" Sirius called.

"What?"

"Has Hermione taken you up on your offer to play a round of billiards?"

"No. She said it was uncouth, better suited at a pub than a person's home."

Nodding slowly, Sirius studied his witch who, in turn, focused on the game board, avoiding his eyes. "Wanna play?" he asked.

"Not really, no," she said.

"Scared?"

"No."

He leaned closer, his breath warm in his ear. "I think you are,” he whispered softly. “I think you're afraid to not be perfect at something; that the very idea of not being the best is so alarming, you make excuses not to try."

Hermione pushed her chair back and stood up, hazel eyes flashing in anger. "Let's go," she told him, walking to the table.

"That was too easy," Sirius murmured, following Hermione.

"It really was," Ron grinned at Harry.

* * *

 

They paired off, Remus and Sirius against Harry and Hermione. They set the stakes: 15 Galleons per game, best two out of three.

"Do you want me to show you how to break, love?" Sirius asked, the smirk never leaving his face after he and Remus killed in the first game. Harry sunk three balls, but Hermione was a disaster, missing the cue ball or accidentally hitting in the wrong color. Sirius felt a little sorry for her, especially when the twins and Ron howled at her mistakes, and made a mental note to buy her something nice with his winnings.

Right now, though, she was bent over the table, eyes narrowed on the white cue ball. Remus opened his mouth to give a suggestion, but Sirius nudged him in the arm and shook his head. If she wanted to be stubborn, there was nothing they could do about it.

She looked up, the concentration she had just moments before on the table now focused on Sirius. "Thank you for your kind offer, _love_ , but I think I have it." Never breaking eye contact, she brought her arm forward, the cue stick hitting the cue ball with force. The balls exploded around the table, three going into pockets. "I guess we're solids, Harry," she remarked.

She never lost her innocent look as she walked around the table, making shot after shot. After clearing the table of solids, she started on stripes, much to the delight of the twins who cheered her on after every sunken ball.

"We got taken, Padfoot."

Watching Hermione bank a shot to sink the 8 ball, Sirius felt his heart flip in a combination of surprise, admiration, longing and pride. Yes, this is the witch for them.

"That we did, Moony. That we did."

* * *

 

"OK, now that two of our hosts have been humiliated, it's time we had more liquor," George announced. He took several bottles out of his bag and set them on the bar. Fred produced eight shot glasses.

"We held our own the last game," Sirius protested.

"That you did, mate -"

"And then it was Hermione's turn –"

"And she killed you -."

"Gobbled you up and spit you out -"

"But what a way to go!" they finished.

They poured liquid in each shot glass and gestured for everyone to take one. As soon as the glasses were in their hands, the liquid changed colors. Ron's was green, while both Harry and Ginny had pink.

"What are we drinking, boys?" Ginny held her glass up to the light.

"Don't worry, we didn't make the alcohol, but we did charm it -"

"A new little invention -"

"Quite genius, too -"

"The liquid changes depending on the strongest feeling the person has holding it."

"Ron here," George studied his little brother's glass, "is green. That means relaxed."

Everyone stared at Ron, who blushed slightly before he tossed back the drink. "I had a nice time with Angelina.”

Remus laughed and picked up his glass, watching as the liquid turned purple.

"Ooh, that's impatient!" Ginny cried after looking at the parchment the twins had set on the bar. "What can our mild-mannered professor be impatient about?"

Remus shook his head drank the alcohol, grateful for the burn as it slid down his throat.

"Ginny, both you are Harry are feeling amorous," Fred said. "Drink up and see if you can get a better color!"

Hermione turned to Sirius to see what color he had. Like her, he had yet to touch his glass.

"Ladies first," he told her, a challenge in his eyes.

"Fine.” She picked up her glass. It turned a fiery orange.

"Oh, our little Hermione is frustrated," George said.

"Very frustrated," Fred added. "The deeper the color, the stronger the feeling."

"What's on your mind, love?" Sirius murmured quietly.

She quickly swallowed her drink placed the empty glass on the bar with the decisive clink. "Nothing."

"Oh, I know what it is.” Fred made his way around the bar and pulled Hermione from her chair. "She needs a good snogging." He bent her back and pressed his lips to hers. Playing along, Hermione twined her arms around his neck, her fingers running through his hair as he nibbled on her bottom lip. Smiling slightly at the low growl that had to have come from Remus, she opened her mouth and Fred swept in, tasting of chocolate and alcohol. A minute later, she was back in her bar stool, a new shot in front of her.

"How do you feel now, love?" George asked.

She picked up the glass. Everyone watched as it turned a bright blue.

"Ooh, sorry brother of mine,” George snorted. “That's amused."

Everyone laughed as Hermione drank the second shot, no one noticing as Sirius drank his, too – a mixture of red and black which, according to the parchment, meant carnal.

* * *

 

"I can't believe you snogged in Snape's office!" Harry yelled at Ron, who admitted to the illicit adventure under the rules of Truth and Dare.

"Who were you with?" Ginny asked from her spot on the floor, her head resting on Harry's thigh.

Ron's eyes slid over to Hermione.

"GRANGER?!" Fred yelled.

"Well done, Ron!" George added.

Hermione shook her head -- and immediately regretted the decision. “The room’s spinning.”

"Come here, sweetheart." Remus wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, one hand gently massaging the back of her neck. She curled her feet under her and snuggled into his side. The movement caused Sirius to lift his head from her lap with an annoyed grumble, but he settled down again soon enough.

Everyone was pleasantly drunk, the twins' charmed alcohol long gone, as well as a bottle of firewhiskey and another of wine. Hermione considered going to the kitchen for the bottle of Sober Up, but decided the floating feeling she had enjoyed for the past hour was too enjoyable to end.

"Ron," George slurred. "It's your turn to ask a question."

Ron rolled over on his back, his eyes glassy as he stared at the ceiling. "Um, Hermione. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Who was your crush first year?"

"Ron …"

"Come on. You never told us."

"How did you know she had a crush on someone?" Sirius asked. His eyes were closed, but the rest of his senses were completely aware of the conversation around him.

"She was pretty sappy for a few weeks -"

"Months," Harry interrupted.

"Right, months."

"Was it me?" George asked from where he was sprawled in one of the leather armchairs by the fireplace.

"That was second year, George," Hermione grinned.

"Was I third year?" Fred asked from his perch on the billiards table, his hands wrapped around a cue stick like it was the only thing keeping him from tipping over.

"You were fifth year," she joked.

"Krum was fourth year and we know I was sixth," Ron continued. "That just leaves first year."

Hermione blushed. "Fine. It was Oliver Wood."

"Wood?!" The twins shouted.

"Blimey, Hermione, you should have said something before he got engaged," George told her. "He had quite the thing for you."

"For years," Fred added. "He wanted us to set you up."

"Really?" Hermione sat back on the couch, a secret smile on her lips. She closed her eyes. "That would have been fun." She was almost asleep when she heard Sirius ask "Who was third year?"

"Hmm?"

"You just named your crushes from every year at school -"

"I was joking about Fred and George."

"You wound us, love," George told her.

“Who was third year?" Sirius repeated.

Hermione didn't answer, but Sirius caught the quick look she shared with Ginny. He sat up and gave Hermione his full attention. "Who was it?"

"Hey, it's not your turn to ask a question. It's mine."

"Fine,” he conceded. "But this isn't over."

"Remus, truth or dare?" Hermione asked.

Remus’ head was resting on the back of the couch. He didn’t bother opening his eyes. "I'm too tired for dare. Truth."

"Who did you sneak into your room after the Halloween party fifth year?"

Remus stood up quickly, causing Hermione to slide into the couch further and Sirius to fall on the floor.

"Fuck!"

"How did you know about that?" Remus asked.

Hermione pointed to Sirius. Everyone else was staring at Remus. He sighed and sat on the arm of the couch. "It was Gloria Rubin."

"AUNT PREWETT?" Every Weasley in the room shouted.

"She wasn't married to your uncle back then." Remus walked over to the bar for a glass of water. "It was fine."

"Well, you know, except for the rule-breaking and the fact that she was two years older." Sirius pulled himself up to lean against the couch.

"I guess the older woman thing runs in the family, hey Ron?" Fred ignored the finger his brother raised in response.

"Sirius, truth or dare," Remus said suddenly, desperate to change the subject.

"Dare."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Sirius smiled.

"OK, I dare you to …" he stared into space, trying to think of something, his eyes pleasantly relaxed as he focused on the dark blue paint Hermione chose for the room. It began to swirl in front of him. Did she charm the walls? That's a neat trick.

"You all right there, Moony?"

"Um … I need to take some Sober Up. I'll be back; Padfoot, you get a reprieve."

Sirius watched Remus stumble out of the room. "Probably couldn't think of anything, but I can. Hermione?"

"What?" she mumbled from her face down position on the couch.

Sirius got to his knees and pushed her hair away from her face. "Truth or dare."

"Hmm … truth."

"Who was your third year crush?"

She sat up, nearly banging her head on Sirius' chin. "Dare! I mean dare!"

"You can't change -"

"Double dare!" Ginny yelled. "If she changes her mind, she has to do a double dare."

"What does that mean?" Harry asked.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sure Sirius will think of something."

Sirius pulled himself up to the couch and considered Hermione. She returned his gaze warily. She had changed so much in the last month. The empty look was gone from her eyes. Her smiles were real and happened more often. She was eating again and sleeping regularly. Even the nightmares that would make her wake up screaming in the middle of the night were fewer. He watched her eyes shift from worried to defiant, and decided the time had come for that brave witch he met nearly seven years ago had truly come back to life.

"When I was at Hogwarts, I had a Little Black Book -"

"Whoo hoo!" Fred yelled.

"In it was the name of every witch, and a few muggles, who enjoyed the presence of my company."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What happened to it?" Ron asked.

"Near the end of seventh year, it was taken from me. By Filch."

Fred and George groaned in sympathy. Sirius shot them a wink, then scooted closer to Hermione. He took her chin in his hand, bringing her face level with his. "I want it back. Hermione Granger, I double dare you to sneak into Hogwarts and retrieve my book from Filch's office."

Hermione didn't blink. "Fine."


	12. Chapter 12

Three things happened after Hermione agreed to Sirius' dare. Fred shouted, "Let's go!" and fell off the pool table, Ginny turned an interesting shade of green and took off for the loo, and Hermione passed out, landing heavily against Sirius, who fell back on the couch.

"Apparently I missed something," Remus said wryly as he surveyed the scene.

"Party's breaking up, Moony." Sirius struggled to get up from the couch without waking Hermione. He sort of succeeded, sliding off the couch on to the floor. Harry pushed himself to his feet and held a hand out to Ron who, after several failed attempts, grasped it and stood up, a bit unsteady.

"I assume everyone will stay here tonight." Remus said, the effects of the glass of Sober Up coursing through his system.

Both Harry and Ron nodded.

"We appreciate your hospitality, mate," said George, who was trying his best to lift Fred off the floor. Ron walked over to help and, together, the two of them were able to get Fred to a standing position, although his feet hovered over the ground. With arms around a somewhat lucid Fred, they shuffled to the doorway.

"Do you know where you're sleeping?" Remus asked.

"I call Hermione's bed," Fred mumbled.

"We'll figure it out," Ron told him. Harry followed them, muttering something about rescuing Ginny in the bathroom.

"How are you, Padfoot?"

Sirius looked up. When Remus got so tall. He'd always been tall, but now he was _really_ tall. Oh Merlin. Was he _shrinking_?

"Judging by the panicked look on your face, I'm going to say not well," Remus continued. He grabbed Sirius by the arm, pulling him into a sitting position, and handed him a glass of Sober Up. "Drink this."

"OK," Sirius agreed cheerfully. He swallowed the liquid in three gulps. He then promptly fell back on the floor. "Hermione beat us in pool, Moony," he said dazedly as he stared at the ceiling.

"She killed us, Padfoot."

"She set the whole thing up," Sirius continued in a dreamy voice.

Remus shook his head. "That she did, mate."

"She's fucking brilliant, that witch of ours."

Remus smiled down at the so-called brilliant witch dead to the world on the couch. She was drooling on one of the throw pillows. If he wasn’t already gone on her, he knew he was now because she still looked adorable. "I know."

"That's 'cuz you're brilliant."

"I know that, too."

Deciding Sirius was safe on the floor as he waited for the Sober Up to kick in, Remus walked to the couch, swept Hermione into his arms, and walked up the stairs. He flinched slightly at the drunken giggles coming from Harry and Ginny's room, and made a mental note to enact a Silencing Charm when before he fell asleep. He continued into Hermione's room, intent on tucking her into bed, only to find Ron face down, sound asleep. "Shit."

He turned towards his room. Hermione could have his bed, he'd take the couch. It wasn't ideal but it would work -- or it would have if Fred hadn't been sleeping in his bed. He peeked in the last guest room on the second floor and shook his head when he saw George lying perpendicular on the bed.

"Lost, Remus?" Sirius asked as he approached Remus in the hallway. The wizard’s eyes were clear, the Sober Up having done the trick once again.

"It seems our guests have taken the 'Make yourselves at home' statement at face value."

"Huh?"

"Our beds, Hermione's and mine, are spoken for."

Sirius peeked in the open doors and chuckled. "We've no choice, Moony. We're sleeping in my room tonight."

The two men made their way to the third floor. Sirius was relieved to see his bedroom free of Weasleys and gestured for Remus to go ahead. He made his way to the adjoining bath while Remus laid Hermione down in the middle of the unmade bed, where she immediately curled up on her side. Shrugging out of his well-worn cardigan, Remus tossed in on the floor, shucking out of his khakis next. He slid in next to Hermione wearing only his T-shirt and boxers.

"Comfortable?" Sirius walked out of the bathroom, wearing a black T-shirt and green boxers.

"What?"

"Stop looking so tense, Moony. You’re not taking advantage of her. I'm pretty sure she'd rather wake up in bed with us then her ex-boyfriend."

With that, Sirius got into bed on the other side of Hermione, extinguishing the lights with a flick of his waist. He stretched, placing his arms behind his head, smiling when he felt Hermione shifted closer. She rested her head on his chest, her right arm wrapped around his waist.

* * *

 

Hermione sat up quickly, eyes wide open, a silent scream stuck in her throat. She looked around the unfamiliar room, her hand automatically reaching under the pillow for her wand. She hit a muscular arm instead.

"What the hell?" a low voice mumbled.

"Lumos," another one said.

The bedside lamp turned on, the yellow glow making Hermione wince, but not before she noticed the gray walls, dark furniture and two familiar bodies in the bed.

"Hermione, are you OK?" Remus sat up, wrapping his arm around Hermione. She nodded, the horrors of her dream fading as she leaned into Remus, her tension receding further as Sirius rubbed soothing circles on her back. After a minute, Remus laid back down, drawing Hermione to his side. Sighing, she curled into him, her head on his shoulder. She felt Sirius shift behind her, then felt his hand running up and down her arm. "Was it the same dream?" Remus asked.

Hermione nodded. She didn't elaborate and neither man pushed for details. They all had their horrors, memories or fears that took over when they were most vulnerable. They didn't happen every night and not every terror resulted in ear-splitting screams, but they were there, always waiting. "Will they ever stop?"

Sirius sighed at Hermione’s whispered plea. "I can't answer that, love. There are nights I dream of Azkaban and wake up scared to open my eyes, afraid that when I'll do, I find myself back in that prison … And then there are new horrors, things that didn't even happen to me, but they haunt me just the same."

Hermione rolled over. "Like what?"

Sirius took her right arm, pushing up the sleeve of her green dress. The scar had faded over the years, the letters spelling "MUDBLOOD" a pale white against Hermione's ivory skin. She did a glamour every morning to hide what time had yet to erase, but Sirius always knew it was there.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears at Sirius leaned forward and gently kissed each letter.

"I hate that this happened to you," he said hoarsely. "I hate that you feel the need to hide it behind clothes and magic. I hate that you rub this spot on your arm when you think we're not watching. I hate that you were alone, scared, when my cousin -"

"Sirius," Remus interrupted.

" _My cousin_ , Remus,” he pressed on, determined to finally say what he’d been hiding for so long, “took her deranged hate on an innocent person. You were too young to go through that, Hermione. You _never_ should have gone through that and I'm sorry it happened."

Hermione nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Instead, she rolled to her back, taking Sirius hand in hers, grasping blindly for Remus' on her other side. Holding both, she stared up at the ceiling and willed herself not to cry.

"I worry I'll hurt you," Remus whispered. "I go back to that night, your third year, when I changed and I chased you, only this time I catch you and when I wake up …" He didn’t finish. He couldn’t. The idea, the fear – it was too much. “I’ll never hurt you,” he whispered fiercely. “I promise.”

Hermione squeezed his hand tight, smiling when Sirius reached over to place his hand over both of theirs. Time passed -- ten minutes, an hour -- and still they didn't move, not until a light snore came from Sirius side of the bed.

Hermione giggled softly. "I knew he snored."

"I shared a room with him for seven years. I could have told you that."

Hermione looked down at her green dress. "Do you think he'd mind if I raided his dresser for something more comfortable?"

"You can raid anything you want," Sirius mumbled.

Hermione climbed over Remus, opened a couple of drawers, grabbed some things and went into the bathroom. A few minutes later she was back out, wearing a red T-shirt that fell to her knees and a pair of socks. Remus got out of bed so she could reclaim her spot in the middle, snuggled into Sirius' back. She wrapped her arm around his waist. He clasped her hand in his. A minute later, Hermione felt Remus settle behind her, one arm around her waist, the other tangled in her hair.

"Go to sleep," he whispered.

"You need your rest," Sirius added around a large yawning. "You break into Hogwarts tomorrow."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first half of this chapter remains my most favorite thing ever written. I wish it was true!

"Once you get through the passageway, you're going to want to take a left –"

"Don't forget to put on the Invisibility Cloak first!"

"Right, Ron. Put that on, open the passageway and go left –"

"I think I know how to sneak around Hogwarts, Harry," Hermione laughed. "I did it plenty of times when we were students."

Harry looked up from the Marauder's Map. "I know, but we were together –"

"Well, maybe that was our problem. Things never did go smoothly, did they?"

Harry grinned and tapped the map once with his wand. "Mischief managed." He folded it carefully and handed it to Hermione. She slid it inside her small bag, which already held Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

"Thank you for your help," Hermione told her friends. "Now, could we please get out of here?"

Here was Molly Weasley's broom closet, which the boys had dragged Hermione into as soon after she arrived at the Burrow for their weekly family dinner. Remus was still trying to wrap his head around the idea of Hermione breaking into Hogwarts while Sirius was disappointed Hermione didn't dress in black for the occasion, settling on green trousers and a cream-colored sweater instead.

_"I'll have Harry's invisibility cloak, Sirius. Why will it matter what I wear?"_

_"I just don't think you're getting into the spirit of things, love."_

Ron turned to the door, gasping when it opened. He expected his mother's suspicious face on the other side. Instead, Percy snuck inside. The trio backed up to make room as he closed the door quietly. A shelf dug into Harry's back. Ron accidentally stepped on Hermione's foot.

"Good, I caught you," Percy announced.

"Percy –"

Percy cut off his brother with an impatient wave of his hand. "I'm not here to talk her out of it. I came to give you this." He opened his hand. Three heads bent over to examine what he held.

"Is that a rat?" Harry asked.

"Gross," Ron added.

"It's not a rat, it's a mouse – and it's fake," Percy corrected.

Hermione brought her illuminated wand closer so she could see the fake mouse better. "Um, how is that going to help me?"

"It's for Mrs. Norris. If she comes sniffing around, drop this on the ground. It's charmed to move every time a cat gets near it. I guarantee it will distract her."

"That’s brilliant, Percy, thank you!"

"I can't believe that blasted cat is still alive," Ron muttered.

"How did you think of this?" Hermione added the mouse to her bag of tricks.

"I am related to Fred and George."

"Did we hear our names?" George poked his head into the broom closet, Fred at his back. They snuck inside, forcing everyone to shift even more in the already crowded space.

Hermione accidentally elbowed Harry in the head. “Sorry! Guys, is this really -"

"Hermione, we are so proud of you," Fred began.

"Thank you, but -"

"We wish we were going," George added.

"I'm sure you do, but I think the less people we have breaking into our old school at one time, the better."

"Right," the twins agreed. "That's why we want to give you this."

George handed her a thick parchment. Hermione opened it. Four heads peered at the list scribbled in Fred's familiar scrawl.

"What’s this?" Percy asked.

"A list of everything Filch took from us over the years," George said.

"We figured since Hermione was running this errand for Sirius -"

"She might be willing to help us, too."

"We'd be grateful, love." Fred kissed Hermione’s forehead.

"Guys, I'm breaking into my school, into the caretaker's office, searching for something no one has seen in decades!" she hissed. "I won't have time to tackle your list, too."

"Just do your best," George told her.

Hermione sighed, but added the list to her bag. As one, the group turned when the door opened once more. Ginny squeezed inside. "What are you all still doing here? Mom's getting suspicious."

"We were just leaving," Hermione informed her, her voice barely audible because she was smashed against Percy's back.

"Good. Dad just took Sirius and Remus into his shed, probably to show him some new muggle artifact, so we can sneak into the living room -"

Ginny broke off when the door opened, revealing a wary Molly Weasley.

"What, may I ask, are all of you doing in my broom closet?"

"You found us!" Harry shouted from the back. "Good job!"

"What?" Molly was confused.

"Its hide-and-seek," Hermione told her. "A muggle game."

"Right," Harry added. "We hide and you seek."

"Well done," Fred kissed his mother on the cheek as he left the closet.

"Brilliant." George kissed her other cheek.

"I knew I got my brains from your side of the family," Percy added.

Ginny gave her a bright smile, while Ron flashed thumbs up.

"Hmpff," Molly said, crossing her arms and staring at the closets' final occupants, a boy and girl she loved as much as her own. "Do you really expect me to believe that nonsense?"

Leaving the closet, the both hugged her. "Never," they whispered.

* * *

 

Remus followed Arthur across the Weasley's backyard with a sense of trepidation. Things have been off all morning, from waking up with Hermione's hair in his face to having breakfast with a subdued group of Weasleys, each face paler than the last. Then there was Hermione, devising a plan to sneak into Hogwarts to steal Sirius' Little Black Book.

_"Are you crazy?" Remus asked Sirius._

_Sirius sipped his coffee. "Probably."_

When they arrived at the Weasley's for dinner, all Remus wanted was a seat in the living room, a cup of tea, and a few minutes of blessed quiet. Instead, Hermione ran off with Harry and Ron, and Arthur insisted he and Sirius must see his new Rug Doctor, dragging both men out in the cold. Manners kept Remus from protesting, but he felt on the edge as he traipsed through the snow, trying to build some enthusiasm for the latest addition to Arthur's collection.

"Ron was telling us about this thing just the other day," Sirius ducked under the shed door. Remus followed, not trusting himself to speak just yet. It was colder in the shed than it was outside.

"Yes, well, have a seat friends, have a seat, and I'll just …" Arthur looked around blankly as both Remus and Sirius pulled metal stools from underneath the workbench along one wall of the shed. Staring at them, Arthur wished for -- hoped for and prayed for -- a distraction. After a minute of silence, it was obvious one wasn't coming. "So," he cleared his throat. "The fact of the matter, boys - I mean, men – no, I mean friends – is …" He sighed. "I didn't ask you to come out here and look at the Rug Doctor. I don't have one. I want one. Ron was quite excited about it and I can't wait to see if it's really as amazing as he says. Molly is adamant that no muggle invention can top magic, but I told her -"

"Arthur," Sirius interrupted.

"Oh, yes. Right." He conjured an armchair, then changed his mind and made it a throne so he could be taller than the two men watching him curiously. Arthur sat, his hands nervously rubbing his knees. "Let me begin by saying I enjoy our friendship and will always be grateful for the help you gave the Order, and to Harry, of course. Our world has not always been fair to you Remus, nor you Sirius, and neither of you let that alter your innate kindness."

Sirius blinked in surprise. He's been called many things, but doubted kind ever made the list. He looked at Remus to gauge his reaction. His friend was watching Arthur warily.

"I also appreciate you opening your home to Harry and Hermione, Sirius. Molly and I would have loved to have them here, but I understand they needed more space and quiet than we could provide. They've both thrived, showing us that they made the right decision."

Sirius nodded slowly. This was all fine and good, but he got the sinking suspicion that the other shoe was going to drop. Soon.

"Harry and Hermione had to grow up faster than they should, and without their parents' guidance. They are incredible adults and I know they will live happy, productive lives."

"But?" Remus asked quietly.

Arthur cleared his throat again. He stood the paced around the small space. "But, it's just you and Hermione in the house now. It was fine when Harry was there, too – he loves her like a brother – but I don't think either of you look at her that way."

"Now, Arthur –" Remus began.

"No, no. Let me finish. I'm the closest thing that girl has to a father and she needs someone to speak for her. I know if I wasn't around, I'd want someone looking out for Ginny."

"Go on." Sirius’ tone was chilly.

Arthur sat again. "Have you thought about this? I mean _really_ thought about it? She's 20 years old and both of you are nearly twice that. She has her whole life to live, a whole world to explore. Will you be able to keep up with her, to let her grow into the person she's meant to be? She's a beautiful girl, but there's more to a relationship than physical attraction and, um, physical needs."

Remus shifted uncomfortably in his stool.

"I don't think I need to remind you that she's experienced much more than most witches will in a lifetime. These experiences have made her strong, but they've also made her vulnerable. You can tell yourself she's mature, that she's smart, that she can accept the demands a relationship like this will place on her, but do you honestly believe that? Or is it what you want to believe?"

Sirius stood up, his body tense. Arthur stood up, too, but still had to look up at the man. "I don't pretend to know anything about how relationships work, Arthur. I never had one, never wanted one. For the longest time, Hermione was simply Harry's friend -- like Ron. I can assure you that my feelings for her did not change until she was of age, but they did change. She may not be the girl she was and that's OK because I'm in love with the woman she's become. This is not infatuation or a yearning to feel young again. This is not even about physical desires."

He looked at the man he considered a friend, a man who has loved the same woman since he was a student, a man who has raised a family with her and fought just as valiantly to protect that family. Sirius felt his anger deflate. He slumped back on his stool. He tried to put into words how he felt, but all he could do was shrug his shoulders helplessly. "She's the one, Arthur. I know I'm not your first choice, or even your second, third, fourth, but she's it for me."

Arthur turned to Remus. "And you?"

Remus took a deep breath. "I never thought I'd find someone like Hermione, Arthur. From the day I met her, she has challenged me and pushed me to go beyond what I know, what I feel. Until she was of age, my feelings for her were nothing more than admiration and friendship but, like Sirius, they changed. I don't know if she feels the same, or if she'll ever feel the same, but I'm not going to let fear stop me. If she'll have me, have us, I can promise you we will do everything we can with everything we have to make her happy."

Arthur slowly nodded. "And if she says no?"

Both men blanched, as if they never considered Hermione would spurn their affections. Arthur had to admire their confidence. At the same time, he was glad to witness their vulnerability. Maybe they truly were the right men for Hermione.

"If she says no," Remus started, "then that's it. I will continue to be her friend and she will know she can always turn to me, and I will not push for more. But, if there's the tiniest chance that she would consider being mine, I'm going to take it and to hell with everything else."

"And you, Sirius?"

Sirius looked up. His gray eyes were hard. "She won't say no."

"Sirius." Remus spoke softly.

"I mean it, Remus. I know Hermione. You know Hermione. She's for us and we're for her. It's as simple as that."

Standing once more, Arthur held out his hand to Remus, who quickly stood and shook it gratefully. He turned to Sirius and repeated the action, noting the stiffness in the man's shoulders. He was sorry to put it there, but it had to be done. "Well. Let's go back to the house for dinner before Molly sends a search party.

The three men walked back to the house silently. Arthur stopped at the door before he opened it. He turned to face Remus and Sirius. "I know neither of you is happy with me right now and I hope, eventually, we can get back to where we were, but you must understand that I love Hermione, too. Not in the same way, of course, but she's mine and I will protect her.” His eyes narrowed as he delivered his closing line. I trust you'll never forget that."

He walked inside, calling a cheerful hello to everyone. Remus and Sirius turned towards each other. Did that just happen?

"And all this time I thought Molly was the scary one," Sirius told Remus.


	14. Chapter 14

"Would you please back up?" Hermione hissed to Sirius, who was peering over her shoulder. She was taking down the security spells at Honeydukes, a tedious process that took focus and concentration, which was difficult to come by with a wizard breathing down her neck. Both Remus and Sirius had offered to help, but Hermione refused, saying the task was hers to complete. They were along as witnesses to the fact and that’s all.

Stepping back, Sirius joined Remus, who was leaning against the opposite building in the alley, his eyes hooded as he watched Hermione work. "Feeling the old familiar tingle?"

"It feels good to do something bad," Remus replied.

Not a minute later, Hermione stepped back with a grin. She opened the door and gestured both men inside, where she quickly put up a few basic wards to protect the premises from harm.

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"I don't want anyone to break in."

"Sweetheart, what do you think we're doing?" Remus asked.

"We're just here for their storage room."

They made their way to the Hogwarts secret entry in the back room. Weaving through the shelves of candy, Remus felt the stir in his belly, the hitch in his breath that came from a grand adventure. True, this wasn't his adventure, but watching Hermione's eyes sparkle as she plotted and planned for her mission … Sirius is right. Hermione thrived on adventure. He could use some himself.

"Right," Hermione said once they reached the storage room and uncovered the passage's entryway. "I need two minutes." She ducked into the manager's office.

"Women.” Sirius cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "She probably needed to use the bathroom."

Remus snorted, shifting from foot to foot with nervous energy. He could feel Sirius' excitement, too; his eagerness rolling off of him in waves. Clearly women and booze were not the way for them, but breaking-and-entering. Remus opened his mouth to share this insight, but then something caught his eye and he was unable to speak at all.

"You OK, Moony?" Sirius turned around to see what made his friend's jaw drop and saw Hermione dressed head-to-toe in black, from skin-tight leather pants to a form-fitting long-sleeved T-shirt. Black heeled boots completed the outfit.

"Is this spirited enough for you, Sirius?"

He could breathe. Years of women, of chasing them, wooing them, fucking them, flew out of his head as he stared at Hermione, the perfect combination of sin and innocence. "And then some, love."

She gave Remus a saucy wink and ducked into the passageway. She waited for both men to follow and sealed the entrance. She followed Harry's instructions for the dark, winding trail, her wand in front of her guiding the way, both men at her back. No one spoke, though two were breathing exceptionally louder than usual.

Hermione owed Ginny for her impromptu afternoon shopping trip.

Too soon in Hermione's opinion, and not soon enough in Remus', they reached the doorway to the One-Eyed Witch.

"Right," Hermione turned her partners in crime. "You wait here. I mean it, Sirius. Wait here. If I see that you've left this passage, I will make your life miserable."

"An impossible task, as you are nothing but sweetness and light every minute of every day.” Sirius took Hermione's hand and gently kissing her knuckles.

Hermione rolled her eyes, opened her bag and took out the Invisibility Cloak and Marauder's Map, grinning when both men suck in their breaths. "Do you want to do the honors?" she asked, holding out the map.

Almost reverently, both men took out their wands, touched the map, and stated: "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"We are amazing, Padfoot." Remus stared at the map, which now revealed every nook and cranny of Hogwarts. Slinging his arm around Remus, Sirius could only nod, the two lost in memories while Hermione watched, her heart slowly breaking.

"Right," Sirius said, his voice somewhat raspy. "Let's get moving, shall we?"

Remus handed the map to Hermione. She reached into her bag again and removed two Galleons -- two of the Galleons she won from them playing pool, actually. "If something goes wrong, these will glow red. That happens, contact Fred and George. They'll know what to do."

"Why them?" Remus asked.

Hermione smiled. "You have your Marauders, I have mine."

Taking a deep breath, Hermione moved to open the door, then turned quickly and threw her arms around Sirius' neck. "A kiss for good luck?"

He grinned, the sadness leaving his eyes as he bent down and gave Hermione a soft kiss on the lips. Hermione tightened her grip and pressed closer. "Is that all you've got?" she teased.

With a low growl, Sirius’ mouth plundered hers, tongue sweeping inside, making her forget this was supposed to be a lark, something to shake away the sorrow of the moment. She moaned and raised to her tiptoes, desperate to get closer, her tongue dueling with his.

"Forget the dare," he whispered between kisses. "Come home with us. Please, Hermione, please come home."

She wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to, but she also wanted to do what she came here to do, to take a chance, break the rules. Sure, she's broken rules before, but there was always a greater purpose, a bigger reason. For once, she wanted to do something completely reckless for no good reason.

She pulled herself out of Sirius' arms and smiled at him, delighted to claim responsibility for his flushed face and erratic breathing. She could see herself in his gray eyes; eyes that narrowed as he stepped forward, determined to kiss her again. Hermione took a step back, then another, crashing into Remus. She turned and saw his carefully schooled expression, his eyes giving away nothing as he held out the Invisibility Cloak.

"You dropped this when you -"

Hermione didn't let him finish. She leapt into his arms, forcing him to let go of the cloak and grab her, his hands gripping her bottom as she twined her legs around him, throwing everything she had into the kiss. She licked his lips and he moaned. She bit them and she felt his groan deep in her throat. She braced her hands on his shoulders, and moved her body up and down his hard length, gasping in delight as he spun around and pushed her against the wall, his body keeping hers pinned as he slowly ran his hands up the sides of her body, just barely grazing the sides of her breasts before he cradled her head in his hands.

"Christ, Hermione. Where did you -"

She smiled, turning her head to nibble the palm of his hand. "Imagine what I could have taught you if you had stayed at Hogwarts," she whispered. With more reluctance than she expected, she unwound her legs and set her feet firmly on the ground. She rubbed her cheek against his. “I'll see you soon.”

And then she was gone.

* * *

 

Hermione stood outside Filch's office. Her heart was pounding. She had managed to get there without incident. Maneuvering the castle much easier with only one person wearing the Invisibility Cloak instead of three, although part of her missed having Harry and Ron by her side.

Her feet, however, were grateful. Grace was never Ron's friend.

She looked at the map, pleased to see that neither Filch nor Mrs. Norris were in the office. She pulled a pick set out of her bag and got to work picking the lock the old-fashioned way, the muggle way, knowing Filch, who was a squib, didn't have access to magical wards. Hermione briefly considered sharing this skill with Sirius, then dismissed it. The last thing that man needed was more ways to access places he shouldn't.

She opened the door slowly and slid inside. Once the door was closed and locked, she used her wand to turn on the lights. "Merlin.”

She didn't know what to expect from Filch's office, but it wasn't the floor-to-ceiling storage cabinets that filled the room. They covered every nook and cranny, barely leaving room for a chair, footstool and, Hermione had to grin, bright pink cat pillow.

"Accio Little Black Book."

Nothing happened. She wasn't surprised, but it was worth a shot.

She walked to the closest set of cabinets and opened them. The information inside wasn't sorted by student, by house or by year. She flipped through the items, which ranged from parchments filled with crude drawings by students to a dog-eared muggle _Playwizard_ , searching for a pattern – if one existed.

"You don't have all night. Think, Hermione."

* * *

 

"What's taking her so long?"

Remus looked up from his spot on the floor. Watching Sirius pace the confined space was entertaining – for the first 30 minutes. Now, sitting on the ground, his back against the wall, legs up and hands resting on his knees, Remus wished he'd stop. "It's barely been an hour."

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck in irritation. He was fine until that little stunt Hermione pulled earlier. OK, maybe the night had a bit more nostalgia than he anticipated – after all, the secret tunnel was discovered by Sirius and his fellow Marauders fourth year; it was understandable that sneaking through it with Remus would bring up memories. But he was dealing with them just fine until Hermione pressed herself against him, her small, tight body fitting perfectly against his, her lips as demanding as she made him forget – forget the pain, forget the loneliness, forget his fucking name.

"What would James say if he were here?"

Sirius looked at Remus in surprise, but his friend was focused on the coin Hermione had given him. He flipped it through his fingers slowly, seemingly unaware that he had even asked the question out loud.

Sighing, he slid to the floor across from him. "He'd wonder why we're letting some bird have all the fun."

Remus grinned. "He'd tell us there's no way he'd wait in this passageway. He'd talk us into leaving, with some speech involving bravery and man bits."

"And we'd do it," Sirius replied.

"Unless Lily got involved. Then we'd all cave, James first."

The sudden click of the passageway had them jumping to their feet, wands at the ready as Hermione rushed inside. "Run!" she cried.

* * *

 

She managed to complete her mission and was halfway to the secret passage when she something had stopped her. A look at the map told her no person, nor ghost, was in her vicinity. The utter ease of the entire escapade was so great, Hermione wished, briefly, from some sort of hiccup that would force her to not thinking, just react. That's the only explanation she had to explain why she reached into her bag and pulled out the small pile of Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs she found in Filch's office. Hermione had discovered many Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes products in Filch's files; a fact she knew will please twins. But her thoughts weren't on Fred and George as she studied the enchanted fireworks, the spell for fire leaving her lips without thought.

She tossed the firecrackers down the hall, jolting at the first explosion. It wasn’t the noise that startled her, but the realization that she, Hermione Granger, had done something utterly reckless – and it felt amazing. Two more pops exploded, freeing something in Hermione and she laughed, hysterically, as she pictured what Harry and Ron would say if they could see her now.

"Students! Students in the hall! Students out of bed!"

"Shit," Hermione hissed, her reverie broken as she heard Filch's cries. She raced down the hall, throwing firecrackers into any entry she could. When she reached the One-Eyed Witch, Hermione opened the passageway, her pounding heart beating faster at the sight of the two men waiting for her.

"Run!" she cried.

* * *

 

"You're telling me you deliberately set off the firecrackers?" Remus asked.

"I know, its madness," Hermione laughed from her perch on the pool table, eyes shining as she relived the night's exploits. "I don't even know why I did it, just that it felt right."

Sirius studied Hermione from his spot behind the bar, his pulse quickening as he took in her flushed face, sparking eyes and mischievous grin. She had taken off her boots moments after they'd arrived home, sliding them off her feet in a slow manner that did nothing to cool Sirius' blood as he steeled himself against touching her.

"And now," Hermione brought her bag forward, digging her hand inside the small purse.

"Undetectable Extension Charm?" Remus asked.

"Always." She smiled triumphantly when her fingers found what she was looking for. Taking out a small black journal, Hermione hopped off the table and walked to the bar. She kneelt on one of the stools and held it out to Sirius. "For you, Mr. Black."

Sirius took it from her, smiling at the familiarity of the object. He knew if he uttered the spell to open it, pages and pages of names would appear.

"That book was legendary during our time," Remus remarked.

"I'd expect nothing less," Hermione snickered.

Sirius leaned over the bar, took Hermione's chin in his hand, and kissed her lightly, barely a touching of his lips against hers. "Thank you for returning this to me."

"I'm not one to step down from a challenge, Sirius."

He walked over to the fireplace, took one last look at the book and tossed it inside, feeling oddly at peace as he watched it burn.

"What are you – after all I did to get that back?!" Hermione cried.

Sirius approached her, his movement slow, predatory. Standing in front of her stool, he leaned forward, placing both of his hands on the bar, effectively trapping her. "You want a real challenge, Hermione? Kiss me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the explicit rating begins next chapter!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: NSFW

The world stopped.

Oh, Hermione knew it was still spinning. She was too much of a realist, an academic, to consider such romantic thoughts, but in that moment, as she stared at Sirius, his face set, his mouth hard, his eyes defiant, she truly believed nothing else existed except him and his demand. She didn't think, she just reacted, leaning forward to do exactly what he demanded.

His lips were warm and soft against hers. She closed her eyes as she sank into his taste, his feel. She licked his lower lip, toyed with it. She was unhurried, patient; content to straddle the line between innocence and heat.

Remus was not.

"You're supposed to kiss him, Hermione," the werewolf whispered in her ear, his breath warm on her neck. "Kiss him."

She slid her tongue past his parted lips to tangle with his, gasping when he raised his hands to her breasts to flick his fingers across her aching buds.

"Do you want him, Hermione? Do you want him to strip the clothes from your body, to lay you down and slide inside you?” Remus’ voice was low and raspy, and did something to Hermione’s insides she couldn’t identify. “Do you want me to watch? Do you want to look into my eyes as he moves inside you? Do you want to come so hard, you forget everything but how you feel? Do you want me to be there as you come down, hard and ready to drive you back up again?"

Hermione moaned and pressed her breasts into Sirius' hands, panting as his kisses softened.

"What do you want, sweetheart? All you have to do is tell us."

Hermione raised her arms, wanting to pull Sirius closer, but Remus stopped her, capturing her wrists in one hand at the same time Sirius ended the kiss and backed away. Her eyes snapped open and narrowed on Remus. His green eyes were dark, with hints of amber around the edges.

"I asked you to do something, Hermione," he said in his calm way, the quiet of his voice in contrast to the tautness of his body.

"Here's what you need to know, love." Sirius ran a calloused hand down her arm, leaving goosebumps in his wake. "We want to make love to you. We _will_ make love to you. We will romance you and caress you and love you until you see the stars."

"We also want to fuck you," Remus continued. "We want to take you against the wall, on the couch, in a chair. We want you standing up, lying down, on your knees."

"We want your sighs."

"Your screams."

"Our mouths on you."

"Your mouth on us."

"Fast."

"Slow."

"So fucking hard."

"Unbelievably soft."

Hermione couldn’t speak. Every word that poured from their moths set off another wave of excitement. Could she do this? Could she really sleep with both of them? Merlin knows she wanted to!

"You think you know what you're getting into, don't you Miss Know-It-All?" Remus ran his hands through her curls, his fingers trailing lightly down her neck. "You think I'll be the calm one, the one who will hold you close and tell you it will be OK as Sirius pounds into you, your screams making him go harder." He nibbled on her ear. "I can do that," he said as his hand moving down to her breast, her nipple pebbling at the touch. He rolled it between his thumb and finger, smiling when Hermione moaned. "I will do that. I can be gentle, but I'll also be brutal. I'll make demands, never asking, just taking. I'll take everything you give me and want more." He brushed his lips against hers, a promise of a kiss, backing away when she tried to take it deeper. "Can you handle that?"

Hermione opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Sirius was there, holding her face in his hands. "I'll drive you crazy," he promised. "I will push you until you beg for release and then make you go higher. You'll cry. You'll swear. You'll threaten me and I won't care. You won't come until I let you." He peppered her face with kisses, barely there grazes that managed to be sweet and tease at the same time. "And then I'll worship you. What was hard will be sweet, what drove you crazy will bring you comfort."

Remus picked up her hand, kissing and nibbling her fingers. "There is no one way with us. Everything you know, everything you think you know, is done. If you want to be with us, you are with us. We will give you everything, but you have to play by our rules."

Hermione tried to wrap her head around his words, to listen to what he was saying, but the roar in her head wouldn't let her. She was too far gone. She wanted them too damn much. It was happening so fast, but at the same time, she felt this was meant to be, that they three of them had been on this path for years.

"Are you in?" Sirius asked.

"Are you ours?" Remus questioned.

She nodded. She couldn't do anything else.

Sirius smiled. "There's my girl.” He leaned forward and kissed her, his tongue licking the outside of her lips before diving in to sweep her mouth. Hermione moaned, her hands gripping his shoulders. "Now, be good, and answer Remus. Tell him what you want."

He backed away and pulled her off the stool, turning her to face her former teacher. Hermione had never seen Remus look so fierce before. Gone was the aura of calm she associated with him. Instead, there was confidence, pride. He looked at her as if he knew every thought going through her mind, every secret desire.

"I want you," she whispered.

He raised one brow. "Oh, sweetheart, I know that, but I'm going to need you to be more specific. What do you want us to do to you?"

She swallowed. No, she wasn’t a shy virgin, but she didn’t have years of experience either.

“Cat got your tongue?” Remus teased. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“You’re an arrogant ass,” she snapped.

"Sometimes," he shrugged. "It doesn't change that fact that you want me, that you want us. There's no reason to play coy, Hermione.” He took a deep breath. “I can smell you from here.”

Hermione blushed. Damn werewolf senses.

“I can make you feel good,” he continued, his hands clenched tight as he struggled for control. Hermione watched, fascinated, as he fought his baser instincts. “We can make you feel good. All you need to do is stop playing and _answer the fucking question_!"

His roar awakened something in her. It was like he flipped switch and any misgivings she had were gone. Why was she fighting this? Why should she?

She straightened her spine and walked to Remus, sliding her arms up his chest and down again, her hands just barely touching his hardened length. "I want you," she repeated. "I want you to take me lying down, standing up, and on my knees. I want to feel you deep in my pussy while I suck on Sirius' cock. I want to ride him while I suck yours. I want to have both of you at the same time, constantly moving so that I don't know where I end and you begin.” She cupped his cock, her lips turning up in a smirk at his groan. “Was that specific enough for you, _Professor_?"

He lunged, sweeping her into his arms, his lips on hers in a demanding kiss, tongues dueling. "I want you," he panted between kisses. "I want you so fucking much."

"My bedroom …"

"Later," Sirius pulled Hermione from Remus' arms and setting her on the billiards table so that her legs bracketed his waist. She gasped as his lips settled possessively over hers and she returned his kiss with everything she had. He stopped too soon, turning her head toward Remus.

The werewolf’s kiss was just as powerful, as possessive, as the wizard before him. Hermione moaned in response, her pleasure growing louder as Sirius mouth moved down her neck, nibbling here, biting there. He grasped the bottom of her shirt and lifted it, stopping Remus for just a second so he could remove it from her body. Both men moaned at the sight of her black silk bra. Remus' lips returned to hers while Sirius focused on her breasts, first brushing his knuckles lightly over each nipple, then harder, chuckling when she arched her back. "Not yet, love."

"Now …" she gasped, already feeling that familiar tingle preceding her release. "Please..."

They responded by laying her back on the table, Sirius still focused on her breasts while Remus unfastened the button of her pants. He slid the zipper down, oh so slow, before peeling the leather from her legs. "Remus …"

He stared at the witch on the table. She was quite the site with her curls spread out across the green felt, wearing only her bra and matching panties. "You're beautiful," he told her. “You are so fucking beautiful."

He climbed on the table and settled on her left side, Sirius on her right. As one, they kissed her breasts through her bra; Remus sucking while Sirius nibbled. Hermione gasped at the dual sensation. She tried to move, she wasn’t sure if it was to get closer or move away, but their firm hands her hips kept her still.

"Take what we give you, love." Sirius undid the clasp between her breasts. He pulled the cups away and attacked her breasts while Remus kissed his way down her body. He hooked his fingers into her panties and tugged, pulling them down her trembling legs.

"So wet," he whispered, sliding a finger along her slit. He slipped his hand between her folds, his touch light. He ignored her bucking hips as he explored, the scent of her excitement making his groan deep in his throat. "What do you want me to do, Hermione? Tell me sweetheart."

She was no longer embarrassed. She was too far gone for such nonsense. "Lick me. Oh, God … please …"

With maddening slowness, Remus drew his tongue across her clit. Hermione groaned, the knot of need in her stomach tightening with every lick.

"Please … more … harder …"

"Patience." Sirius growled. "You'll come when we tell you and not before."

She almost came from the ferocity in his voice. Who were these men? Who was she? She bit her lower lip and tried to keep the orgasm at bay, but Remus wasn’t making it easy. His mouth was vicious, leaving no part of her unexplored as he licked and sucked.

"Good girl,” Sirius cooed. One of his hands pushed away the damp curls sticking to her forehead. The other slid down her body to find the tight little nub between her thighs. He rubbed it softly, chuckling at her gasp. "Does that feel good, love?” He brushed his nose against hers. “Do you love feeling my hand while Remus licks you?"

Was he seriously talking right now? And he honestly expected her to respond?

His fingers stopped. “Answer me, Hermione.”

"Yes," she gasped.

They started moving again. "Do you want us to keep going?"

"Yes!" She was close. So close!

"Are you sure?"

"YES!" she screamed.

He chuckled and increased his pressure slightly.

"She liked that." Remus lifted his head, his mouth glistening from her juices.

"I bet she'd like it even more if you fucked her with your tongue, wouldn't you, Hermione? Do you want to feel Remus tongue-fuck you while I kiss this little button.”

"YES! Please!"

"So polite.” Remus lifted her legs over his shoulders and buried his face between her legs. He slid his tongue inside her, first shallow and slow, then going deeper and harder as Hermione moved her hips up and down in a frantic rhythm. Sirius moved, too, sliding down her body so he could draw her clit into his mouth. His tongue worked her throbbing nub, keeping pace with Remus' movement. Hermione couldn’t handle it, not anymore.

“I need to come,” she gasped. “I have to … I _have_ to!”

They didn’t tell her not to, so she took that as permission and let go, screaming their names incoherently as pleasure crashed over her again and again. Her back bowed off the table, her hands flew to the tops of their heads, pulling them closer as she rode the aftershocks of the most powerful orgasm she’d ever experiences. Neither man stopped, their tongues riding her orgasm with her, slowing their movements only when she laid back, her body trembling as she fought for breath.

Both men stood and removed their clothing. Hermione pushed herself to her elbows to take in her first sight of their naked bodies – Remus, long and lean, the map of scars on his chest and back the only blemish on his sinewy form. Sirius, all muscle head to toe, his chest covered in tattoos. "You are so gorgeous.”

Sirius held out his hand. She took it without question, scooting to the edge of the table and into his arms. He lifted her, her legs automatically going around his waist as he exited the room. She expected him to move to the stairs, to one of their bedrooms, but instead he veered into the kitchen. He sat in one of the chairs so that she straddled his body. "We are going to take you together," he whispered as he kissed her. "Not tonight, but soon. Will you like that, love? Having us in every inch of you?"

She nodded, her fingers combing through his dark hair as she rubbed her body against his hard cock.

"She's so ready, Moony."

"Turn her around."

Sirius did as he said, lifting Hermione from his lap and moving her so his chest was to her back. "Take me inside you," he whispered, groaning as she settled her pussy against the head of his shaft. He was slow, mindful not to hurt her, as he breached her body. "Oh … she's so tight … so fucking tight." He started rocking, slow, shallow movements to get her body used to him. Remus stood against the counter, watching, his eyes narrowed as Sirius bottomed out on a drawn out moan.

Hermione was so full, but she wanted more. She wanted both of them. "Remus …"

He walked forward. His lips covered hers in a wild kiss. When he pulled away, she whimpered. "You are going to suck me as Sirius fucks you," he stood to his full height. "You are going to suck me until I come into your mouth." Taking his cock in his hand, he guided it to her mouth. He slid past her lips, moaning as she took him to the back of her throat before drawing away.

Hermione grabbed his hips to stop him from pulling all the way out. He wanted her to suck him. She was determined to give him the fucking blow job of his life, to show these wizards that she was more than enough witch for them. Licking and sucking, Hermione focused everything she had on bring Remus pleasure while Sirius filled her pussy, his movements getting harder, going deeper. She moaned as his fingers curved to the front of her body, exploring her folds, shuddering as the need inside her built again. No! She wasn’t going to give in yet. Not this time. She forced herself to relax and swallowed Remus deeper, feeling an urge of pride at his gasp. His hands went to her head, his grip almost painful as he fucked her mouth, his rhythm matching Sirius.

" … so good … Hermione, love, you feel so … baby, I'm close …" Sirius’ fingers danced around her clit.

She moaned in response, running her teeth lightly over Remus’ cock. She brought one hand to his balls, cupping them gently. His fingers tightened in her hair, telling her without words how good that felt. "Don't stop baby … don't stop …" he whispered. "Oh fuck …" He shuddered, his seed filling her throat. She swallowed, as she tried to ignore the flutter in her stomach.

"Hermione …" Sirius gasped. "Baby …"

Remus slid out of Hermione's mouth. His gaze was soft, loving, as he brushed her curls away from her flushed forehead. She tried to meet his eyes, but she couldn’t focus. She was too close. Without him to distract her, all she could do was feel Sirius move inside her, deeper and harder. It was too big, too much. She couldn't ... "You’re amazing," Remus whispered. "You can let go now, sweetheart."

"Come Hermione! COME NOW!" Sirius roared. With a wild buck of his hips, he exploded. Her own orgasm erupting seconds later, a huge ball of need and want and pleasure erupting so hard, she practically blacked out. She closed her eyes against the rush, her nails digging into Sirius' thighs as she fought to regain control of herself. Breathless, she collapsed against Sirius' in exhaustion, the rapid beating of his heart drumming in time with hers.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still NSFW

She felt the whisper of fingertips on her back, the light kiss on her shoulder. A shift of the bed and the touch became a caress. It started at her neck and slowly slid down her body.

"Mmm …"

A soft chuckle and the hand began its journey again, this time going up, gently kneading her neck. She shifted her head to give better access and was rewarded with another soft kiss.

"Are you going to wake up, sweetheart?" Remus nuzzled her neck.

"I think we wore her out," Sirius remarked.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Hermione mumbled from her face-down position in Sirius' bed, trapped between the two men who kept her awake and active most of the night.

Sirius rolled over from his own sprawl, scooting over until his head close was to Hermione's. She felt his warm breath on her face and forced herself to open her eyes and face a grumpy-looking and sleep-rumpled -- but still gorgeous -- Sirius Black.

"Is that an age joke, little girl?"

She shook her head slightly; her hoarse throat and worn-out muscles were proof of his virility. The bruises on her hips and shoulders were evidence of Remus' strength. Remus was now lightly kissing those marks, his lips soothing, but he didn't apologize. He had told her being with him, with Sirius, meant things could get rough; that they would push Hermione outside of her comfort zone, but never deliberately hurt her.

Sirius ran his fingers through Hermione's hair, smiling when she closed her eyes again. Normally, she was the morning person, up with the sun and a million things accomplished before he even opened his eyes. "I think Remus wants you to roll over. I think he wants to give you a proper hello, a morning kiss, maybe even slide into your tight little pussy and ride you as I watch."

She opened her eyes again, but this time they were darker, her pupils dilated in that excited way he became familiar with last night. "Is that all you want to do? Watch?"

"What do you want him to do, sweetheart?" Remus turned her head so she was looking at him. He had that look on his face, all strength and power, as he waited for her answer. She learned last night that specifics were required. Any attempts at being vague or coy were dealt with, sometimes with a smack to her ass, other times with the prolonging of release. Hermione honestly didn't know which one she loved more.

"I want both of you," she admitted on a rush of breath. Just even admitting that felt scandalous. "I want to feel both of you inside me. I want to be wrapped up in you, not able to move, not able to breathe. I just want to feel." She kissed him, her tongue gliding over his. "Please, Remus," she murmured between kisses. "Will you please give me that?"

He growled low in his throat. He wrapped his arms around Hermione, bringing her closer as he deepened the kiss. He had no idea, none, that the witch he'd lusted after for nearly three years was so fucking responsive. He lost track of how many times she came last night, how many times she yelled his name as desire overtook her. "Anything you want, sweetheart,” he promised as he broke the kiss. He ran his thumbs over her cheekbones. He loved her so much that he felt his heart would burst. "But you might need to talk Sirius into it."

Hermione smirked and rolled to her back. She knew she wouldn’t have to work too hard to get what she wanted, but she was still surprised when Sirius pounced. His body covered hers as he dove into her mouth. He sucked her lower lip as his hands streaking over her naked body.

"Are you sure?" He licked a trail down her neck. Hermione arched to give him better access, moaning when Remus started nibbling on her ear.

"Yes," she ran her hands down his back. "Now!"

He laughed and moved further down her body to her breasts, his tongue licking circling her nipples. "You broke her of that silly 'not wanting to ask' habit pretty quick, Moony. She's a demanding little witch."

"Ask and you shall receive, Padfoot.” He rolled to his back, bringing Hermione with him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed gently until she sat up, his shaft settling in the apex of her thighs, her legs on either side of his body. He felt Sirius get off the bed, but his focus was on the woman in front of him. He rubbed his hands up and down her thighs in a soothing manner. "Have you done this before?"

She shook her head.

"Why us, love?" Sirius asked from the foot of the bed. "Why now?"

She turned her head to look at him. "Why me?" she countered.

Remus sat up quickly, gripping Hermione's arms, his eyes boring into hers. "We want you because you're ours," he told her, his voice scarily fierce. "You said so last night and I'm going to hold you to that for the next 80 years or so."

Hermione's eyes widened. She hadn't considered that this, whatever _this_ was, went beyond a fling, She harbored a secret crush on both men when she was younger, but figured they'd never see her as more than Harry's friend and, later, housemate. The parade of women Sirius brought home, the mornings he and Remus would floo in from who-knows-where, smelling of perfume – she wasn't stupid. Things that were said in the heat of the moment - they were just words; they didn't mean anything. Or did they?

Not trusting herself to speak, she leaned forward and rested her head against Remus. "Wanna know a secret?"

"Yes."

"You were my third year crush." She pushed his brown hair off his forehead and giggled at his shocked expression. "Really, Remus, after everything you did to me last night, the fact that I had a crush on when I was 13 you renders you speechless?" She rubbed her cheek against his, a little habit she of hers that that never failed to move him. "You were so intelligent, so gifted, so knowledgeable," she kissed his cheek and made her way down to his chin. "And you were so sad. You had this vulnerability that made me want to save you." She nibbled his jaw, then licked away the bite.

"Hermione …" He took her face in his hands and kissed her. He poured everything he had, everything he was, into it, taking her with him as he leaned back, slowly lifting his hips to prod her heat.

Sirius forced himself to ignore the brief stab of jealousy he felt at Hermione's whispered confession and climbed onto the bed. He balanced on his knees as he reached to touch Hermione, dipping his fingers in her folds. "You are so wet, so hot," he licked his way down her spine. "I want you like this always; wet and ready for us."

She moaned and moved against his hand. "… feels so good … Sirius … please …"

"She's ready, Moony."

Remus gripped Hermione's hips, settling her over his cock. He closed his eyes as she took him deep inside. "Fuck, yeah," he sighed and thrust his hips.

Sirius gathered more of her wetness and moved his fingers to her backside, rubbing his index finger around her rim before sliding it inside. He felt Hermione tense and eased out a little. "Relax, love," he soothed. "I'll take care of you."

"Come down to me.” Remus wrapped a hand around Hermione’s neck and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply and putting more of her gorgeous backside on display. Sirius circled her rim again, then pushed two fingers inside. His smile was one of satisfaction when Hermione whimpered in pleasure, not pain. "How do you feel, love?” He slowly moved his fingers in and out. "Do you want more?"

" … yes …"

Remus slid out of her warm heat. "It's just for a minute, sweetheart. Sirius wants to play, too." He moved his fingers down to her sex, circling her nub. He rubbed it softly but consistently. Hermione was so focused on Remus, on how incredible his fingers felt, that she didn't feel Sirius prod her opening until he was almost inside her completely.

"Sirius!"

"It's OK, love. Relax. Just relax,” he soothed, one hand rubbing the tension from her shoulder, the other kept his balance on the bed. It was killing him, but he’d wait for her to tell him to continue. "Whatever you want love; whenever you're ready."

She took a deep breath. Remus' fingers never stopped. She felt the fluttering in her stomach, that familiar rush of pleasure these men were so good at building. She wanted this. She did! "Do it," she demanded. "Now!"

He didn't hesitate. He pushed forward, stretching her with his huge cock. Her breath hitched at the quick bite of pain. It was sharp, but brief.

"OK, love?" Sirius’ voice was wrecked. She felt amazing, better than anything he ever imagined.

She nodded, then groaned as he slowly pulled out, then pushed back in, going deeper each time. Remus was watching her, his jaw tense, eyes practically glowing as his fingers worked harder. "Baby?" he rasped.

She couldn't speak, she could only nod. She whimpered when he removed her fingers, then cried out as his cock surged inside her.

They held themselves still as she adjusted. She was so _full_ , it was almost overwhelming.

"Breathe, baby," Remus said. "Relax and breathe."

She did, letting it out on a long sigh as they began to move. They were slow, shallow thrusts, and went a little deeper each time. Hermione felt herself sinking into the movement. She was loose, limp, and yet completely focused on the decadence of the moment. "More.” She kissed Remus. "Harder. Please, harder!”

They complied. Sirius pushed in when Remus pulled out, a rhythm that left Hermione full at all times.

"Baby, you are so tight -- so fucking tight," Sirius grabbed a handful of her hair, twisting it around his fist. He brought her head back so he could feast on her lips and swallow her moans. He’d wanted this for so long, dreamt of it, wished for it. The reality of it … he didn’t have the words. “Hermione … our Hermione.”

"You feel so good.” He hissed as her nails dug into his shoulders, his own fingers clenched her hips.

"Are you close, baby?" Sirius asked against her lips.

She nodded, frantic, unable to talk. She was feeling too much, more than she ever felt before. They increased the tempo. This couldn't last, it couldn't. She would die.

"Come with me," Remus jackknifed his hips. "Now, Hermione. Come now!"

She did, her body trained after only one night to respond to their demands, the shock of the orgasm made it hard to breathe. Her anal muscles tightened around Sirius and he growl in appreciation. Remus gave one more thrust, yelling his release, Sirius shouting his own a minute later.

Hermione collapsed onto Remus, completely spent. She felt his heart pound against her chest as she caught her breath. Sirius slumped against her back. He planted little kisses on her shoulder, the back of her neck, before rolling off her with an exhausted sigh. "Fuck," he groaned. "You are going to be the death of me."

She was too weak to respond. Remus ran his hands down her back, too spent to put into words how much he loved her. He closed his eyes on a sigh, told himself there would be time for that soon enough because he meant what he said. She was theirs.

"HERMIONE!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently took time away from work and life to travel. I spent three months overseas and while I was there, I connected with a nonprofit that just hired me to help with their PR. What does that mean?
> 
> I'm going to Africa! Not today, but next month. Ack!
> 
> Life is crazy. I'm one of those people who plans everything, but after playing it safe for so long, I decided to just go for it and things have been amazing every since.
> 
> Don't let fear hold you back. Ever. OK?


	17. Chapter 17

"Shit!" Hermione jumped out of bed, eyes wide as she looked around the room in panic.

"HERMIONE!"

She shook her head. Her hands clutched at her brown girls, frizzy and knotted from the night’s – and morning’s – activities. "Oh no, oh no, oh no."

Sirius pushed himself to a sitting position against his headboard, an amused smile on his face as he watched Hermione tear open his wardrobe. She grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of boxers, her movements clumsy in her rush. "Love, is there a reason Fred Weasley is in our house, calling your name at 8 in the morning?"

"HERMIONE!"

"And now George." Remus covered his eyes. "Great."

"When I spoke to Ron last night, I mentioned I picked up something of the twins' at Hogwarts and told them to stop by to get it today." Hermione’s voice was muffled as she pulled on the clothes, not realizing the shirt was backwards. "They're going to come and look for me and I'm not in my room! I'm not in my room!"

"Hermione, sweetheart, calm down –"

She pointed a finger at the werewolf. "Don't you _dare_ tell me to call down, Remus Lupin! Do you realize what this looks like? What _I_ look like?"

"A woman who has been thoroughly shagged?" Sirius grinned.

She turned her glare on him.

"Sweetheart, I was just going to point out that you're a witch." Remus kept his voice calm, not wanting to rile the young witch more than she already was. His words, however, did not seem to make a difference as she looked at him blankly. "You can apparate," he said after a minute.

Her face lit up. "That's right! You are brilliant, Remus; brilliant!"

And she disappeared.

Sirius looked over at Remus. "Should we go downstairs and play interference if things get uncomfortable?"

Remus shook his head. He had faith in their witch. "She'll be fine."

"OK. How about we go downstairs and make things uncomfortable?"

Remus smiled. "You are brilliant, Padfoot; brilliant."

* * *

 

There was no time to change once she got to her room, so Hermione performed a quick cleaning spell and pulled her hair into a messy bun. She was pulling on her robe when four hands started pounding on her door. "Coming!" She opened the door and hoped the two smiling Weasleys on the other side wouldn’t notice how winded she was.

"Morning, love.” Both swooped in for a kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry to apparently drag you out of bed on this fine morning –"

"But some of us need to work today –"

"So if you could show us what we came to see –"

"We'd be grateful."

With a laugh just this side of forced, Hermione pushed herself between the wall the twins made at her door. "Fine, fine.” She missed the smirk the pair shared as she walked down the stairs. "Let me put the kettle on for tea and I'll get it."

Hermione forced herself not to look in the game room on her way to kitchen, afraid to call attention to the debauchery that happened there the night before. Unfortunately, when she walked into the kitchen, her eyes were immediately drawn to the chair Sirius had sat in the first time he surged into her body.

"Have a seat – NOT THERE!"

George looked startled, his body freezing just inches from where Hermione saw stars last night.

"Um …” She couldn’t think of an excuse not to let him sit. Her brain refused to work. All she could remember was how it felt to feel Sirius move inside her while she had Remus in her mouth. “Please sit somewhere else."

He exchanged another look with his brother, but said nothing as he took a seat next to Fred. Hermione busied herself with filling the kettle. She forced herself to take a deep breath to calm her pounding heart before reaching inside the cupboard to the mugs.

"Good morning Fred, George," Sirius walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Hermione."

"Sirius." She couldn’t look at him. He joined the twins at the table, in that chair. She could feel her cheeks burn. Merlin knows how red her face must be! "Um, the kettle just went on. I've got to grab something from the other room."

She rushed out just as twins asked how well Hermione did last night. She groaned when she heard Sirius chuckle.

"Everything OK?"

Hermione looked at Remus standing at the bottom of the stares, wearing navy sweatpants and a gray T-shirt. "No, everything is not OK,” she hissed. “We have guests in the kitchen and this whole house smells like a brothel!"

"Not the whole house, sweetheart." Remus tucked a loose curl behind Hermione’s ear. His tone was soothing, but the glint in his eye said otherwise. "Just the game room, the kitchen, Sirius' room – oh, and the second floor landing, although that was more of a case of clumsy feet than unbridled passion, but you did manage to find the silver lining when you –"

"Stop it!" she whispered fiercely. How could he joke at a time like this? "Go in the kitchen and make sure Sirius is behaving himself."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "Yes, dear."

Not even remotely placated, Hermione walked in the game room, her already-red cheeks colored furthers at the clothing strewn about the room. With a flick of her wand, she banished the evidence upstairs. She picked up her bag and walked to the kitchen just in time to hear Sirius call her amazing.

"She really is quite extraordinary.” He winked as she made her way to the whistling kettle. "All those years of being good; who could have guessed the wildness that lurks underneath?"

"Not I," Remus said.

She realized the best course of action was to get the twins out of Grimmauld Place as soon as possible. Hermione ignored the tea and made her way to the table instead. She pulled three small boxes out of her purse and triumphantly set them in front of Fred and George.

"Um …" George looked down, confused.

"They're pretty, Hermione." Fred said kindly. "But I think little boxes are more Ginny's thing than ours."

She rolled her eyes. “Honestly,” she muttered just before she used her wand to enlarge one of the boxes to its normal size. The twins' eyes grew round as they opened the lid.

"Hey, here's the original recipe for Fever Fudge."

"And our prototype for Extendable Ears."

"Look at this, George; our first detention slip!"

"Save that for Mum so she can frame it."

Remus tugged Hermione's arm so she sat in the chair between him and Sirius. For several minutes, the three watched as the twins plowed through the box, smiling at their delight in the lost treasures.

"That should be everything," Hermione told them, “though you might like to know that there were a lot of your products filling Filch’s files."

"Aw, music to a businessman's ears," George grinned.

"We make it, they buy it, it gets taken away, they buy some more," Fred agreed. "We should make Filch a partner."

"He should get something for his thoroughness." George replied.

The two glanced at the clock and started to put their things away, albeit reluctantly.

"You are wonderful, Hermione." Fred shrunk the box and placed it in his pocket. George pocketed the other two. "Come to Diagon Alley this afternoon and we'll take you to lunch."

Hermione opened her mouth to accept, but Sirius interrupted. "Sorry, boys. She already has plans."

Hermione turned to glare at him, but stopped when Remus placed his hand on her leg, sliding up and under her robe.

"All right; how about dinner?"

She tried to focus on the conversation and not the feel of Remus’ calloused fingers on her skin. "Um …"

"Dinner's covered too, unfortunately." Remus’ tone gave away nothing as his hand moved higher, touched harder.

"Tomorrow night?"

Hermione didn’t even bother to look at Sirius and Remus before giving her assent. “That would be wonderful.”

"Perfect! Thanks, love!"

They walked into the fireplace and were gone.

"How dare you?!" Hermione fumed the second the green smoke vanished. She pushed Remus’ hand away and stood up so quickly, her chair crashed to the floor. "Just because we’ve slept together does not give you the right to tell me what to do!"

"We're not telling you what to do, love. You already had plans."

"No, I didn't! This is my last week of vacation and I have nothing scheduled! No appointments, no chores, no to-do list –"

"Ah, see that's where you're wrong.” Remus caught Hermione by her belt robe and pulled her into his lap. "Last night, you said you wanted us to take you lying down, standing up, and on your knees. We've only hit one of those so far."

"We had you together, and you rode me and sucked Remus' cock, but I still need to have the pleasure of your mouth," Sirius reminded her.

"You see, sweetheart, we were only thinking of you." Remus nuzzled her neck, his clever hands working the knot at her robe until it was loose and he could slide the heavy fabric off her shoulders. His hand was warm on her skin as it dipped underneath Sirius’ shirt to cup a breast.

"Make sure to disconnect the floo," she whispered just before she pulled his head down for a kiss.


	18. Chapter 18

Harry dragged himself into Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, feeling very much like the garden gnome being hit over the head by a shovel the twins had on display in their window. He and Ron had finished a mandatory auror training session for new recruits, meaning seasoned staff was privy to a variety of accidental hexes.

"Oi! What happened to you?"

Harry blinked at George, who was staring at him with wide eyes. True, his nose had yet to shrink to its normal size, but he didn't think he looked _that_ bad – or maybe George was looking at Ron, who was _still_ sporting three eyes.

"Work.” Ron bumped into a display, the extra eye not helping him navigate the crowded shop. "We're here to borrow your fireplace so we can floo over to Hermione's and get fixed up before going home."

"Ginny will freak if she sees me like this," Harry added.

"You can't go to Hermione's," George told them.

"What?"

"Why not?"

"Uh …"

"Cause we were there this morning and she was … She was in the middle of something." Fred avoided his twin brother's eyes.

"When isn’t she?” Ron asked. “We'll stay out of her way.”

Fred schooled his features. He could do this. Years of lying to McGonagall proved that. "Well, it's the kind of something where if they get interrupted, for any reason, um …" He turned to George, a desperate look on his face.

"She might make you help!" George blurted out.

"Huh?" Harry asked.

"Yeah,” George continued, warming up to his story. “Hermione has the guys tackling another home improvement project and since you both got stuck on moving duty last time, we figured you'd rather avoid another round.”

"We're just looking out for you," Fred added.

Harry scratched his nose. "I thought they'd finished."

Fred couldn’t help it. He started snickering.

"Oh, you know Hermione," Ron told Harry. "Once she has her mind set on something, there's no stopping her until she sees it through."

Fred snorted. George elbowed him in the side to make him stop.

"Have you guys been product testing?" Harry asked them. When they shook their heads, he turned to Ron. "What now?"

"I say we go over there," Ron said. "I doubt Sirius is up for another round of whatever Hermione has in mind -"

That did it. The twins burst out laughing, tears running down their faces as they bent over the counter, unable to hold it in anymore.

"What?!" Harry yelled in exasperation.

"Nothing, mate, nothing," Fred gasped, forcing himself to calm down.

"Tell you what," George suggested when he could speak again. "Use our flat, get fixed up and then come on down to see what Hermione picked up for us last night."

Ron's eyes, all three of them, lit up. Harry just nodded. The twins watched the pair walk through the backroom to take the stairs up to the flat, then turned to each other and smiled.

"We're bloody brilliant, Gred."

"The best there is, Forge."

* * *

 

Hermione rolled over, her arm reaching for Sirius. When she felt cool sheets instead, she sat up. Remus was sound asleep on her right, but a glance around the room showed no signs of the anigmus. She grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed, slipped it on and tiptoed out of Sirius' bedroom. She made her way downstairs. The kitchen was empty, as were the other rooms on the first floor. The second floor and third floors were nothing but bedrooms, so she walked up to the attic instead. She found Sirius stretched out on the extra-long sofa, a book in his hands. She was just about to leave and give him some privacy when he sat up and waved her over.

"Can't sleep?" She took the hand he held out, lacing her fingers through his as he shook his head. He tugged, pulling her into his lap and burying his face in her neck. Hermione relaxed against him as he breathed in the scent of her, and slowly ran her fingers through his hair; the long dark locks that would look ridiculous on other men but only enhanced Sirius' good looks.

There was an heaviness in the room that had nothing to do with middle-of-the-night wakefulness. Hermione wrapped her arms around Sirius’ neck, desperate to make the wizard feel better. "Did I ever tell you about the huge crush I had on you?" she whispered.

"You had a crush on Remus," he mumbled into her neck.

"That doesn't mean I didn't have one on you, too."

He looked up. "Was it the first time you saw me? I know I was a dog and I was dragging your best friend away from you, but I really was quite dashing."

She laughed, happy to see that arrogant smirk on his face. "No.” She wiggled off of his lap. When he protested, she turned her back to one end of the couch, crossed her lags, and circled her finger in the air, indicating that he should lay down with his head in her lap. Once he was settled and his eyes closed, she went back to stroking his hair and continued her story. "I was terrified of you the first time we met."

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough. I was an escaped convict."

"Exactly. And we were stuck with you in the Whomping Willow and you were waving Harry's wand about, ranting and raving -"

"Not my greatest moment, love. Get to the part when you realized how sexy I am."

She snorted. "But then we got past all that and you became the most important person in Harry's life."

"I'm pretty sure that was you and Ron."

"No, it was you. He was so angry fifth year, so confused about what was happening, so cut off from what the Order was doing, and dealing with Umbridge … Seeing you, it soothed him. He knew you were going through your own personal hell, too, but if you could fight it, keeping moving forward for the greater good, then he could, too. Of course, seeing you duel in the Ministry … well, that sealed it for me."

He opened his eyes and winked. "Yeah? Liked what you saw?"

She leaned forward to kiss his head. "You were incredible. You saved my life."

"Consider it payback for saving mine two years earlier.” There was a small smile on his face as he closed his eyes, he body heavy against hers as he relaxed.

She trailed her fingers around his face, massaging the tension from his forehead and the stiffness from his jaw. He was so much more than what people saw. Yes, he was arrogant and a flirt. He has no respect for rules and went out of his way to buck any kind of expectations out of habit rather than a sense of right. But he was also funny, charming and incredibly loyal. When Sirius Black allowed himself to care for someone, he cared for them forever.

"So what about now?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You say we're even in the saving each other's lives department, but what about now? All of this – fixing up the house, rock climbing, bar hopping and criminal acts …"

"It was nothing."

"Don't say that," she whispered. "It was everything. I was floundering and you were my life preserver. I was beginning to think I'd never be happy, never feel happy, again. Thank you for rescuing me."

He sat up, twisted around and framed her face with his hands, kissing her lightly. "No thanks needed, love," he murmured.

* * *

 

Remus found them on the couch the next morning, sound asleep. Hermione was wrapped in Sirius' arms, their legs intertwined. He waited for the jealousy to set in, for the doubt that this woman could ever love him as much as he loved her, the voice that would whisper she preferred Sirius all along, but it never came.

She was theirs.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

Hermione's head fell back on a sigh. The quiet release turned into a moan as Remus' hands slid up her body to cup her breasts, calloused fingers plucking her nipples. "Do you like that?" His breath was warm against her ear as she shifted slightly, nudging his thigh between hers. "Do you know how many times I've pictured you in the shower, water running down your body? How many times I wanted to join you, just like this, so I could lick everywhere that's wet, especially …"

She gasped as one hand dipped into her folds, still sensitive after waking up that morning with Sirius deep inside her. He didn't say a word, his head tucked against hers, his breath warm on her neck, as he pushed, ignoring her efforts to make him move faster, deeper. Remus watched the entire time from what was quickly becoming his side of the bed, his head propped up on one hand, his eyes never leaving Hermione’s as he witnessed the change from sleepy to excited, anxious to pleasure.

"I love watching you come," he whispered now, his touch lingering, then moving when she rolled her hips. He ignored her murmured protest. "I love seeing how dark your eyes get, how flushed your cheeks, the hitch in your breath as you pant. Hearing my name on your lips …"

He nipped her collarbone, biting slightly harder than usual. Hermione sucked in her breath, the feeling of his teeth on her … she didn't have the words. "Remus, please … I'm so wet."

"I know."

"You make me so wet."

He chuckled. One hand brushed over her again, the other still plucking, twisting, and pinching her nipples. "I know."

"I need you. Now."

"You don't mean that.” His fingers massaged the nub of nerves between her legs.

She could feel her pulse speeding with each clever touch of his fingers. It was building into something big, something she didn’t want to fight. "I do! I do!"

"Oh baby, I can make you feel so good if you're patient. So, so good.” His tongue slid down her neck as he removed his hand. He smirked at her cry of protest. "Imagine me on my knees in front of you, my tongue moving in and out of you, hands on your ass, keeping you still so all you can do is feel. I'll tongue you until you come, until your body can't handle anymore, and then I'll be light, my touch soft, so soft, until it starts all over again.” He kissed her collarbone. He could feel her heartbeat, smell her excitement. She was almost there, but he knew he could push her further. “Would you like that, sweetheart?"

Remus’ hand brushed over her mound once more, fingers exploring until she started to pant, desperate with need, making him move them away again. "Why won't you let me come?!" she groaned.

"I will," he growled as he spun her around to face him. He kissed her fiercely, not caring if it was too rough. He wanted her. Now. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed until she dropped to her knees. "When you've earned it."

* * *

 

Hermione was exhausted. Curled up in a ball on her bed, her legs were still shaking from the orgasms Remus gave her in the shower – one with his fingers, a second with his tongue and a third with his cock, swallowing her screams as he slammed her into the wall and pounded, her cries echoing in the enclosed space. She rolled to her back and grinned wickedly thinking of the pleasure she'd brought him first, his hands gripping her head, his strong legs trembling with effort as she licked his length, her name a constant chant on his lips as he begged her to keep going and, finally, his shout when she sucked him dry.

She made the werewolf beg. And it was amazing.

"Love?"

Hermione lifted her head as Sirius and Remus walked into her room. She pushed herself up on her arms. "Why are you wearing coats?"

"We have a few things we need to take care of,” Sirius replied. “You're spending the day with Ginny, right? Then dinner with Fred and George."

She nodded, though the way Sirius looked in his dark jeans, dark green T-shirt and leather jacket made her wish she didn’t have plans. Remus also was wearing jeans, but he had paired his with a brown button-down shirt and navy overcoat.

"What?" he asked, shifting under her focused gaze.

She smiled. "I was just thinking you both clean up well. I haven't seen you wearing much these past few days."

Sirius grabbed her by her robe’s lapels, bringing her face to his for a crushing kiss. "Don't get used to it. We'll be home tonight."

Remus' goodbye was softer, a gentle kiss on her lips. "Be good," he told her.

* * *

 

"What is that on your neck?"

Hermione's hand flew to her neck, grimacing when she remembered Remus' actions in the shower. "Um …"

Ginny's eyes flashed with excitement. "Was it Remus? Was it Sirius? Wait; was it Charlie?"

Hermione stared at her friend. "How do you know about Charlie?!"

Ginny laughed, shifting her focus back on the display of nightgowns in front of her. "Please, like I haven't noticed how you are when he's in the room. The tension between you two … it's not as great as it is when you're in a room with the sexy professor and brooding bad boy, but it's up there."

Hermione took a couple steps back and sat in a chair, a move that brought her face-to-face with a display of pastel-colored bras, but she didn't care. "How long have you known?"

"Until a few seconds ago, it was more of an extremely certain guess." Ginny held up a red teddy. She wondered if the color would clash with her hair. Harry probably wouldn’t care.

"A guess about Charlie, or Sirius and Remus?"

Ginny dropped the teddy. "Hermione Granger, are you telling me you did _it_ with Sirius and Remus?!"

"Shhh!" Hermione looked frantically around the lingerie boutique. True, they were shopping in a muggle store, but she didn't want complete strangers knowing her business, either.

Ginny grabbed Hermione’s hand and pulled her into a dressing room. She pushed her onto the pink velvet stool and sat at her feet. "Talk."

"I'm not talking about sex in a dressing room!"

"You have to tell me something! I tell you everything!"

"Yes, and I really wish you wouldn't. Harry is my best friend. I don't need to know how great he is at foreplay."

Ginny smiled. "But he is _amazing_."

Hermione grinned, a wicked twinkle in her eye. "So is Charlie."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST SAID THAT!" Ginny threw a silk nightgown in Hermione's face. "You are pure evil!"

She laughed, relishing the moment of complete happiness, forgetting that it was only a few weeks ago that the thought of spending an afternoon shopping with a friend was overwhelming. "OK, OK, I'm sorry."

"You're paying for my therapy," Ginny muttered.

"How about I tell you a secret instead?"

Ginny smiled. "OK!"

"I slept with Sirius. And Remus."

"Holy shit! How was it?"

Hermione smirked. "Which time?"

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! When? Where? Do they tag-team or go at once? Is Sirius is good as everyone says he is? Is Remus as thorough as you'd expect? Are the three of you a couple, well not a couple, but a thing now?"

Hermione ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know. I don't know what we are. All I know is they are so incredible, I can't think straight. I swear I've lost brain cells. They've reduced me to nothing more than this mass of nerves."

"That is so hot."

Hermione giggled.

"I knew this was going to happen; I knew it!” Ginny was practically bouncing with excitement. “The twins were pretty sure, too. We should have made a bet and then I could have –"

"Fred and George know!?"

"Not _know_ know, but they’re pretty certain."

"Oh God."

"Don't freak out. It's like Bill and I knowing about you and Charlie -"

"Bill knows about Charlie?"

"Well, yeah, he's Charlie's older brother."

"Does he know about Sirius and Remus?"

"Why would he know about them?"

Hermione dropped her head in her hands.

"Hey," Ginny joined her on the stool and gave her a one-armed hug. "It's not a big deal. No one is judging. In fact, I think we're all pretty happy with the pairings."

"That's just it – _pairings_. There's this thing with your bother and this other thing with Remus and Sirius."

"So?"

"So?! That's not right! I can't sleep with all three."

"But you're not. You and Charlie hook up when you see each other, but it's not a relationship. Is it?"

Hermione shook her head.

"So don't feel bad."

"But shouldn't I say something, let him know that I don't think we can keep hooking up while I'm doing whatever it is I'm doing with Remus and Sirius?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Is that a conversation you really want to have?"

"No."

"So don't have it. Charlie rarely comes home. I doubt we won't see him again until Dad's birthday, which is two months from now. Who knows? Maybe this _thing_ you have with Sirius and Remus will have ran its course by then and you can go back to shagging Charlie."

Hermione's heart dipped at the idea of her pseudo relationship with Remus and Sirius ending in two months, but it was completely possible. Sirius didn't do long-term relationships. He didn't do relationships at all. "You think that could happen?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. Just have fun, Hermione. You deserve it. Have fun and don't worry about what happens next. Why rock the boat if you don't have to?"

Hermione nodded. Ginny was right. She didn't know how Remus or Sirius felt about her, she wasn't sure how she felt about them, and so if sex was all they had, she was going to make sure it was amazing. "Let's go spend money on things we want the men in our lives to destroy the first time they see it.”

"Now you're talking!"

* * *

 

"Fuck, its cold.” Sirius stuffed his hands in his pockets as they trudged along the dirt road. He hated being cold. “Why the fuck does anyone willingly live where they could see their fucking breath?”

Remus rolled his eyes, knowing his friend would continue to complain until their reached their destination. It his way of not thinking about their task ahead. Remus wasn't thrilled to be here, either, but found that memories of Hermione, on her knees, her eyes on his as she took him in her mouth, were a pleasant way to pass the time.

"Hold up," Sirius said. "We're here."

The two men faced the cottage in the middle of nowhere, the weather-washed stone blending in with the winter scene that surrounded it. A puff of smoke from the fireplace. A flickering light in the window showed that someone was home.

They walked to the front door. Sirius took a deep breath as Remus knocked on the door. The pair waited impatiently for it to open, revealing a tall man in jeans, a faded flannel shirt and gray socks. He had a beer bottle in one hand and seemed unsurprised by the unexpected guests.

"I wondered when this was going to happen.” Charlie Weasley opened the door wider. “Guess you better come in then.”


	20. Chapter 20

"Drink?" Charlie held up his beer bottle in question.

"If you wouldn't mind," Remus replied.

Charlie chuckled at the man’s formality. "Really, Remus? You're going to play the role of polite houseguest?" He rolled his eyes, but there was enough of his mother’s drilling of manners in his head to make him gesture for both men to follow him to the kitchen. He pointed to the small table by the window, saying nothing as Sirius and Remus claimed their seats. Instead, he removed two beers from the refrigerator, giving one to each man before he sat, the perfect picture of calm as he leaned back in his chair. "Does she know you're here?"

"No," Sirius said.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Yes," Remus said.

He nodded and took another sip of his beer. "You do know if either one of you hurt her, I’ll kill you."

Sirius choked on his beer, coughing as he stared at the young dragon tamer in front of him. Charlie didn't blink an eye. "That's it? We came all this way and you're not going to fight for her?"

Charlie cocked his head to the side. "Do you want to fight?"

"No, but …" he looked at Remus for help.

"Charlie," Remus started. "We know you and Hermione have engaged in a relationship of sorts over the years and, due to recent circumstances, we came here to tell you that your association with Hermione can be no more."

Charlie burst out laughing, a reaction that effectively pissed off the older wizards. "Sorry!” He wiped a tear from his eye. "That is just … Merlin, Remus, no wonder she likes you! You both have the ability to take a simple situation and twist it until it is more than it is, making a tedious conversation like this necessary."

He pushed back he chair and tossed his empty beer in the rubbish bin, then hopped on the kitchen counter. "Fine. I'll play along. I don't think you can call what Hermione and I had a relationship. She came to me when she was 16 -"

Sirius jumped up and grabbed Charlie by the throat, pulling him off the counter and slamming him into the refrigerator. "You son of a bitch! You took advantage of her when she was a girl!"

"Sirius!" Remus pulled his friend back.

"I did NOT take advantage of her!" Charlie roared, his own temper showing for the first time. "She came to me!"

Sirius lunged again, but Charlie was ready this time. He slapped his hands against Sirius' shoulders and pushed him against the wall. One arm was pinned against his neck as blue eyes glared at gray.

"Charlie -"

"Shut up, Remus," Sirius snarled.

"What right do you have to come to me, uninvited, and make what I had with Hermione something to be ashamed of?" Charlie hissed. "What kind of respect does that show her?"

He shoved away Sirius to sit at the table again, swiping Remus’ abandoned drink and finishing it in one swallow. "She stumbled upon me one night when everyone was asleep," he said. "I was awake, preparing for a mission from the Order, and we talked. She knew she was leaving with Harry and Ron soon and she was scared. She was scared they weren't ready for what Dumbledore wanted them to do. She was scared she'd lose Harry or Ron on their journey. She was this bundle of nerves and when I hugged her, she turned to me and said she didn't want to go without experiencing why she was fighting: love.” His voice trailed off, as if lost in the memory. After a second, he shook his head, then glared stubbornly at the two men he considered friends. "I'm not going to share the details, they are between Hermione and me, but I did not, and I would not, take advantage of her!"

Remus sat down. "She was only 16 and you were -"

"You really want to take age differences, Remus?" Charlie asked.

Remus sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Thank you," Charlie said.

"I hope you treated her right," Sirius growled.

Charlie lifted a brow. "Again, I'm not sharing details, but seeing as we tend to connect whenever we see each other, I'm confident in saying I didn't scar her for life. Of course, I could ask _you_ the same question. I don't have the reputation you do, Sirius."

Silence descended in the kitchen as the three men pondered what to do next. It was decided when Charlie sighed and gestured for Sirius to sit down. "She's not for me; I know that.” Charlie’s tone was resigned, though a bit reluctant. "If you asked, she'd have told you I'm not for her, either."

"Then why, for the last four years …" Remus couldn't finish the sentence.

"Why'd we continue to sleep together?"

He nodded.

"Neither one of us wanted more. I'm all about work and she's all about survival; or she was," he said. "Being together – it was a release; she could finally let it go." He smiled to himself, remembering how Hermione beautiful looked when she let go. She was an amazing lover, completely willing trust her partner, to let him take the reins, which Charlie needed. But there were moments when she’d display her own fierceness and her need to control would take over. Charlie wondered, briefly, if wither man had seen that side of her yet. It was going to be entertaining, watching Hermione twist Sirius and Remus around her finger more than she already has.

"Look, you want me to back off, I will. It means something that you came all this way to talk to me and, if Hermione is happy, then I'm happy for her."

Remus shared a look with Sirius who, reluctantly, stood up and held his hand out to Charlie. He stood up, too, shaking it. Remus repeated the gesture and the three had a second beer in somewhat uncomfortable silence. Charlie visibly exhaled when Remus said they had to go.

"I meant what I said earlier," Charlie repeated at the door. "You damn well better treat her right."

* * *

 

"Well, that went better than expected.” Remus shook off his coat and hung it on the stand by the front door. Sirius didn’t respond, his footsteps loud as he stomped into the kitchen. Remus followed, unsurprised when he saw Sirius standing by the kitchen sink, a drink in his hands.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"I didn't say anything."

"You don't have to." He drained the glass and slammed it in the sink, shattering it.

"Nice." Remus pulled out a chair and dropped into it, exhausted. Traveling by portkey made more sense than using the floo network, but it gave him a headache. Sirius' temper didn't help.

"I'm pissed off, Moony."

"No, really?"

Sirius dropped in a chair and rubbing his face. "I don't know why. I _like_ Charlie. I've always liked Charlie. I knew they were sleeping together, but …"

"You didn't know they had for that long? Or that soon?"

"She was just a kid."

"I seem to recall a certain animagus losing his virginity a couple of years earlier than that."

"That's different."

"No, it isn't, and I promise you if you ever tried to have this conversation with Hermione, she would hex you so hard, sex would the last thing on your mind. Ever."

"Fuck," he sighed. "She's just – she's got me twisted, Remus. I can't think straight. I know I'm not making sense and I don't care. I just want her!"

"Then go get her," Remus replied with a smirk. "She's probably back from dinner, all curled up in her bed."

His words eased something in Sirius as he pushed back his chair back to do what his friend suggested. Remus stayed in the kitchen, content to let someone else deal with Sirius' temper.

* * *

 

Sirius pushed open the door to Hermione's bedroom, wondering vaguely how long the three of them would keep if the pretenses of separate quarters before doing something about it. Then his thoughts turned to something more enjoyable than living spaces.

"REMUS!"

Remus jumped to his feet at Sirius' shout and ran to Hermione's room. "What?! Is she hurt?"

"She's not here." Sirius held out the parchment.

_Dear Remus & Sirius,_

_Change of plans; went to a club instead of dinner._

_Come and get me._

_Hermione_


	21. Chapter 21

Hermione finished her drink and used the plastic sword that came with it to stab the cherry floating at the bottom of the martini glass. She passed it to Ron with a smile. He secretly loved the sweet drinks Hermione and Ginny ordered whenever their group went to a club, but he'd never hear the end of it if he ever ordered one.

"Another round?" she asked.

Ginny looked up from where she was sitting on Harry's lap, snogging the Boy Who Lived as if they were in their living room and not the crowded London dance club, and nodded. Fred waved over the waitress and placed their order, winking as the stacked blond as he did. "You know, George, we really should explore the muggle world more often," he remarked, his eyes on the waitress' tiny black skirt as she moved to the bar.

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked around the bar in what she hoped was a casual manner; a move that did not go unnoticed by Fred and George, who shared a smirk.

"Oi! Break it up, you two!" George threw an ice cube at Harry and Ginny. "If you're going to do that, at least have the decency to do it in a bathroom stall like civilized people."

Harry blushed, but Ginny simply wiggled off of his lap and took his hand. "Excellent suggestion, big brother.” She pulled Harry away.

"Ew." Ron took a sip of his beer. Why must it be so bitter?

"Hey, Ron, don't look now, but there's a brunette at the bar checking you out," Fred told him.

"Where?" Ron turned around.

"I told you not to look!" Fred hissed.

"What do you suggest I do?" he asked, still trying to see who Fred was talking about.

"I was going to suggest you play it cool, but we're 20 years too late for that," Fred sighed. “Offer to buy her a drink. She's the tasty dish in purple at the end."

Ron spotted her, finished his beer for courage, and took off. Hermione watched, just in case he needed her help.

"What about you, Hermione?" Fred asked with a wicked grin. "Need us to spot some bloke for you to toy with?"

"Sure," she replied, not really paying attention as she watched Ron talk to the girl at the bar.

"Would Sirius say about that?" Fred asked.

"And Remus?" George added.

"You know, since you're sleeping with them," Fred reminded her.

"Oh, yes – wait, what?" She turned to face the twins who were looking at her with knowing smiles. "Who told you?"

"You did, love."

"Just now."

Hermione groaned.

"Apparently you are quite excited about this turn of events and want to shout it from the rooftop." George leaned back in his chair.

"Aren't you?" Fred asked, concerned.

"Sure, I'm happy, it's just – it's not the most conventional of affairs."

Fred and George exchanged a look.

"Is it their age?"

"Or the fact they there's two of them?"

Hermione grabbed Ginny's abandoned drink and finished it in two swallows. "It's not their age. I mean, Sirius may be a grown man, but he acts like a 12-year-old most of the time -"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," George interrupted.

" - and Remus was born an adult. They balance each other."

"And you," Fred said.

She smiled to herself, a secret grin that spoke volumes.

"So, it's plurality of the situation," George deduced.

"Nice wordplay, George!" Fred saluted his twin with his drink.

"We're not just a pretty face, brother mine."

Hermione watched the banter between the two. It would take incredibly brave women to tie themselves to the pranksters – not that they seemed overly interested in finding those women.

"Uh oh, you have that little line in your forehead you get when you're thinking about something," Fred told her.

"You don't think it's odd that I'm sleeping with two men?" she asked.

The twins shook their heads.

"Is that because you like Remus and Sirius, or because you share, too?"

George smiled. "I wondered how long it would take for you to connect the dots."

"Huh," Hermione sat back, her gaze thoughtful.

"Do you think it's wrong?" Fred asked.

"No." Hermione answered. "When a relationship works, it works. The details don't matter, as long as everyone is treated with kindness and respect."

"I think you just solved the 'conventional' aspect of your affair," Fred told her.

"Who's having an affair?" Ron rejoined the table, a slip of paper in his hands with the girl – Tracy's – phone number. He wasn't sure how he was going to contact her, but Hermione would know what to do.

George ignored the pleading look on Herrmione’s face. "Dive into the deep end, love."

Hermione took a deep breath and faced Ron, the person she once imagined she’d spend the rest of her life with, until the pair realized their chemistry was better suited for friendship. "I am." She winced internally as Ron’s eyes grew wide.

"You are? Since when? Is it Sirius?"

"Sirius?"

"Of course! That man is crazy about you! Anyone can see it."

"Are you talking about Remus?" Harry rejoined the group, again pulling Ginny onto his lap. Both wore satisfied smiles.

"Remus?" Hermione echoed.

"I'm thrilled the two of you are finally making a go of it. It was weird at first, thinking about you hooking up with one of my dad's best friends, but you two are so much alike and we all know you haven't had the best of luck with guys your own age."

"Hey!" Ron shouted.

"Sorry, mate, but you know what I mean. Hermione needs someone older, wiser; someone who's going to challenge her."

"Yeah, like Sirius," Ron said.

Harry rolled his eyes, the image of his godfather and best friend together too absurd to even consider. "Come off it, Ron; they'd kill each other the first week."

"Not if he's too busy shagging her," Ron muttered stubbornly.

Hermione watched the exchange, horrifically fascinated. On one hand, she was not comfortable with her love life being a topic of conversation among her friends, which apparently it was – regularly from the looks of things. On the other, it helped knowing that both Ron and Harry had imagined her pairing off with one of the remaining marauders – and seemed OK with it.

"So which one is it?" Ginny asked innocently.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her chair as five pairs of eyes turned to her; three alit with mischief. "Um …"

"Excuse me? Would you like to dance?"

Hermione looked up at the man who asked the question; tall, blond, dressed in jeans and a red button-down shirt. Hermione remembered catching his eye while she and Ginny were dancing earlier. "Oh, I'm here with my friends and -"

"Hermione," Ginny leaned across the table, her voice low. "It might interest you to know that two gentlemen just walked in and, judging by their glares, they're not happy."

Suddenly her plan to drink the night away and not think about her future of her relationship, or lack thereof, seemed like the wrong choice. "Right." Hermione stood and took the man's hand. "I'd love to dance."

Sirius watched Hermione walk to the dance floor, her hand in another man's. He reached for his wand when the blond took _his_ witch in his arms. He had his hands on her hips. She had her arms twined loosely around his neck.

"Careful," Remus murmured, though he never took his eyes off Hermione. She was wearing a red dress he’d never seen before: short and tight in all the right places. What little fabric it had left her arms and shoulders bare. "This is a muggle club."

"We've spent half the night tracking her down, Moony. I don't give a _fuck_ if we're in the middle of the Ministry; she's going to be punished for what she put us through."

Remus watched the blond spin Hermione and caught her eye, briefly, as she twirled. Her lips were curved in a challenging smirk. With that contact, he felt the tension he'd be carrying for the past two hours leave his body. With a sly grin, Remus grabbed Sirius by the arm and pulled him to the others’ table. "That's exactly what she wants, my friend. Might I suggest we have a drink and think of the best way to express our feelings about this little stunt rather than storm onto the dance floor in a jealous rage?"

"Storming's fun," Sirius muttered.

Remus shot his friend a look. "So are a lot of things."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of chapter postings today because I leave in 11 days! Aughh!!!!

She could feel their eyes on her as she moved on the dance floor. Hard. Hot. She smiled at Ethan, a smile she hoped made up for using him to entice the two men who have joined her friends. She watched them out of the corner of her eye. Harry said something to Sirius and the man nodded, but his eyes never left the dance floor, though they narrowed slightly when the song changed from slow to sensual.

"Is this OK?" Ethan leaned down to whisper in her ear.

She nodded and hoped the music made it impossible for either man to hear their conversation, which so far consisted of him talking about school – he was studying to be a solicitor – and the his dog; not exactly what she had in mind in terms of seduction, no matter how fake the situation.

"Are you all right, mate?"

Remus was sure the question was directed at him, as Sirius had grunted at Harry seconds before, but he was too busy considering curses for the young blond who kept running his hands along Hermione's back. He was initially amused by Hermione's actions, but her little game of cat-and-mouse grew tiresome the more clubs he and Sirius searched. When they finally found her, it took everything he had not push her against a wall and take her.

"I'm cutting in." Sirius stood and marched to the dance floor. He pulled Hermione from Ethan's arms and dismissed the blond with a dark look.

"That was rude," Hermione told him.

"Fuck manners," Sirius snarled as he pulled Hermione close. His arms banded her to his hard length. "If you want someone who follows social norms, you should be screwing someone else."

Rather than take offense at his words, Hermione felt her pulse jump. She let herself lean on his chest for the rest of the song.

"Pay up, mate; it's Sirius." Ron held his hand out to Harry.

"What?" Remus shook himself from his sentry to look at the two boys.

"Sorry, Remus; I was rooting for you." Harry passed a handful of coins to Ron.

"'Rooting for me?'"

"For you and Hermione," he nodded.

"For me and -"

"Hermione had just announced she was having an affair when her dance partner interrupted, but she never named the guy," Ginny explained. "Ron assumed Sirius; Harry assumed you."

Remus looked at Hermione's best friends. "And you're OK with her being with someone twice her age?"

Harry shrugged. "Like I'm stupid enough to try and tell Hermione what to do."

"If there's anyone in this world who knows what they're doing, it's her," Ron added.

As he watched his best friend and his lover move on the dance floor, he had to agree with Ron. Hermione knew exactly what she was doing, only she hadn't quite figured out that the games she played with other men was quite different than playing games with them. If she wanted to take control in the relationship, he'd let her do so – at times. And while Sirius appeared playful and carefree, the animagus had a dark side. Judging by the look in Sirius' eyes, Hermione was going to get close and personal with it soon. "I appreciate the support, Harry," Remus stood up. "Ron, you might not want to get too attached to your winnings."

"Why?"

He didn't answer. He made his way through the crowded dance floor and swept Hermione into his arms. "We're going home. Now."

And they were gone.

"What the hell the just happened?" Harry asked.

* * *

 

She was torn out of Remus' arms the minute they got home, Sirius on her a second later. He kissed her fiercely, his tongue fighting with hers, before he spun her around, her chest against the wall, and slid the zipper down her dress as he kissed her neck. He hissed at the sight of her ass clad in a red lace thong, he peeled that down, too, leaving her in her red strapless bra and black stilettos. "You weren't a good girl tonight.” He pushed aside her heavy curls so could nibble on her earlobe. His other hand snaked across her stomach and lower, pressing against her clit.

"Sirius …" she moaned, her head falling back on his shoulder.

He nudged her legs apart with his own, almost losing it when she pushed against his cock.

"I need you! Now!" she demanded.

He plunged into her, loving her scream as he thrust in and out, his fingers never stopping their incessant plucking. He meant to take her slow, to keep his strokes shallow until she was quivering in his arms, begging him for release, but she was so hot, so his.

"Stop." Remus demanded.

He did, dropping his head on her shoulder. He had to bite his tongue to ignore her cry of protest, her shove against him. He focused on the pain, the copper taste of blood in his mouth. Control restored, he took a deep breath and moved again, slower.

"More," Hermione hissed. "Harder!"

He continued like he didn't hear her. When she slid her hands down her body, determined to help herself, her grabbed her wrists in his hands and slammed them against the wall. He kept her pinned as he continued to move.

"Remus," she cried. "Touch me."

He didn't answer her, didn't move from his spot near the stairs, his expression unreadable as he watched Sirius tease the small witch. For minutes, the house was quiet except for the sound of Sirius sliding in and out of Hermione, his harsh breath as he forced himself to stay in control while she whimpered.

"Say you're sorry," Sirius growled in her ears. He bracketed her wrists with one hand above her head, leaving the other free to grip her hip.

"What?" she gasped.

"You want to come? Apologize."

She turned her head to glare at him, her eyes flashing. He didn't react, taking her lips fiercely as he thrust. He wasn’t hurting her as his body sought comfort from hers, but he was careful to keep her on the edge of pleasure.

"You're the one who wanted to play, Hermione, so we're going to play," Remus said. "We'll kiss you and touch you and fuck you, but we won’t let you come until you apologize for your little game."

She closed her eyes and focused on Sirius, willing herself to come. She knew she would if she could just wiggle her hips a little bit, that sweet release that was so close would be hers, but when she tried, he tightened his grip on her hips and chuckled softly in her ear. Another minute of his delicious torture passed before she heard the catch in his breath, the tightening of his stance before he let himself go, emptying himself in her. "Are you ready to apologize?" he asked as he slid out of her. He stepped back and pulled up his jeans.

"I didn't do anything." Hermione pressed forehead against the wall. She felt so empty.

"Oh, really?" Sirius turned her around, his hands on either side of her head as he leaned close, nostrils flaring as he glared down at her. "You left a note saying you were going to a club, but neglected to say which one."

"You wore a dress designed to make men fall at your feet and a pair of 'fuck me' heels," Remus added.

"You manipulated some poor muggle to make us jealous, letting him paw you -"

Hermione tried to push Sirius away. "He didn't paw me!"

Remus was by her side immediately. He tangled his hand in her hair, forcing her to look at him. "You didn't tell Harry and Ron about us," he said. "They asked who you were seeing and you went and danced with that boy instead of telling them the truth. Are you ashamed of us? Ashamed of this?"

"No! I -"

"Did you not mean it when you said you were ours," Sirius grabbed her chin so he could lock eyes with her. "Is this some fucking game to you?"

"No!"

"Then what?" Remus growled. "What do you want?"

She looked back and forth between the two men. She’d never seen them look so angry, but it was more than that. They looked … hurt. She didn't want to be responsible for that, for the wounded look in Remus' eyes and the pain in Sirius'. She loved them. Oh Merlin, she loved them more than anything, but what if they didn’t return her feelings? She couldn’t be the one to say 'I love you' first. If they didn't love her back, it would destroy her. They had the power to do that, getting to her like no one else has in years. She wasn’t strong enough to put herself together again, not without them.

"What do you want!?" Remus yelled.

She opened her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. He turned away in frustration and stomped toward the front door.

“No!” Hermione shot out her hand and grabbed his arm. He couldn’t go! "I want you! I want both of you! I want you longer than two months from now when you're tired of this fling, when I'm no longer a challenge, and you move on to the next body. I want you to love me as much as I love you, you arrogant bastards!"

Sirius stared at her, the expression on his face beyond shocked. She glared at him, her eyes flashing, and then turned that glare on Remus.

"Do you think I don't love you?" He brushed away the angry tears that fell from her eyes. "Sweetheart, I ache for you. You are the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think of before I go to sleep. I look at you and I see a future. I see lazy Saturday mornings in bed, Quidditch matches where you pay more attention to the book hidden under your robes than the action above, and arguments about the cereal boxes."

Sirius nuzzled her neck. "You want to know why I had you go get that damn book?"

She sniffed. "Because you didn't think I would?"

"No, because it was the last piece of the old me. I don't want to be the man who jumps from bed-to-bed, woman-to-woman. All I want is you. I want bossy you and stubborn you and sexy you and loving you. I want the woman who refuses to wear socks in the dead of winter because she likes being barefoot, who uses up all the hot water every morning and yells at me for not picking up after myself, but never remembers to hang up her coat."

Remus took her hand. "I want the witch who is so much smarter than anyone I've ever known, but who gets flustered when trying to cook. I want the woman who sneaks to the basement the morning after a full moon with a pillow, blanket and breakfast, the woman who has never looked at me as being less than human."

"And I want your smiles and your sighs and your morning kisses. There's no one on this earth who amazes me and frustrates me and pisses me off like you."

She snorted. "That's not exactly a compliment, Sirius."

"But it's the truth. I love every single part of you, Hermione Granger."

Remus pulled her from Sirius' arms and framed her face with his hands. "I love you," he declared solemnly. "I will always love you and I am ready to spend of the rest of my life proving it to you."

"Do you believe us?" Sirius wrapped his arms around her waist, his chest pressed to her back.

She did. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt it, so she nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. The three of them stood there for a minute, each one feeling more than they could express at that moment.

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered. She leaned up to rub her cheek against Remus'. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Sirius. "I really am."

The grin he gave her in response would make the devil blush. "I knew you'd cave." He hoisted her over his shoulder and started walking up the stairs, Remus following close behind. "Now we can get to the good stuff."


	23. Chapter 23

She woke up slowly, eyes blinking heavily against the harsh light of day. She stretched to ease her aching and well-used body, but her movements were difficult thanks to the two men sleeping on either side of her. She was lying on Remus, using his chest as a pillow, with Sirius curved against her back, his arm around her waist. She smiled thinking of all they had done the night before, the number of times they had brought her to pleasure, how often she had returned the favor.

Sex with the two men was always incredible, but sex coupled with declarations of love was beyond amazing.

"I can hear you thinking," Sirius grumbled, his voice muffled by her hair. "Go to sleep."

She rolled over and pushed him to his back, kissing him on the tip of his nose before snuggling to his side. Remus shifted to spoon her from behind. She wiggled her hips a little, a movement that caused the werewolf to groan.

"You're killing me, sweetheart," he complained though it didn’t stop him from tightening his grip around her waist.

"Let the old man rest," Sirius mumbled with his eyes closed. "He needs it."

"I'm still two months younger than you," Remus muttered. His arm around Hermione went lax as he drifted back to sleep. Sirius was asleep moments later.

Hermione was too wound up to follow. Moving carefully so not to disturb either man, she eased her way out of their arms and climbed over Sirius to stand at the side of the bed, smirking as each automatically shifted to separate sides. She grabbed Remus’ shirt off the floor and slipped into it, buttoning it as she walked down to the kitchen.

"Morning."

"Ohmigod!" Hermione yelped. She stared at Ron and Harry, who were sitting at the kitchen table. From the looks of things – two coffee cups, two empty cereal bowls and toast crumbs on the table – they had been there for a while. "Don't you two knock?" she asked, wishing she had thought to put on underwear before coming downstairs. Remus was tall enough that his shirt hung nearly to her knees, but still.

"We were afraid we'd interrupt something," Ron smirked.

"Coffee?" Harry asked. "Toast?"

Hermione nodded and sat at the table. She absently dusted the toast crumbs into her hand, brushing them over the plate and Harry prepared her coffee. Mumbling thank you, she sipped it slowly, avoiding her best friends' eyes.

"So …" Harry started.

"Two men," Ron said. "You always were an overachiever."

Hermione's head snapped up, ready to yell at Ron, but stopped when she saw the grin on his face. "Are you here for a lecture?" she asked. Her question was for both of them, but she directed it at Harry. "Are you going to tell me this is stupid, it's wrong, and that I'm only going to get hurt?"

"No," he said.

"Are you here to judge me?"

"No."

"To yell?"

"No."

She sighed. "Then why are you here?"

"To make sure this is what you want."

In all the scenarios Hermione had pictured about this conversation, and there have been many, she never considered Ron and Harry would look at her with such … support. Their faces were sincere. Ron even reached over to squeeze her hand with his.

"Look," Harry stood up to pace around the kitchen. "This is not my first choice of relationships for you -"

"That was me," Ron grinned.

" – but if it's what you want, we're not going to stand in your way." He sat next to her. "Is this what you want?"

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Can I ask why?"

"Because I don't think I have it in me not to be with them," she replied, her voice thick with emotion. "I know it's not a traditional relationship, that people would talk even if it was just me and Sirius or me and Remus because of our ages, but I couldn't be happy with just one.

"We balance each other," she continued. "I've had more fun this past month than I have in years, thanks to Sirius. He can be so juvenile, so bloody stubborn and immature that you want to strangle him, but I need that because it keeps me from being too serious."

"Nice wordplay," Ron commented.

"And Remus … I think I keep him out of his head. The man walks like he has the world on his shoulders sometimes. I'd like to think I bring some light to his life and he, in turn, challenges me. He doesn't accept my opinions as fact, which is so annoying when I know I'm right – Stop rolling your eyes, Ron!"

He smirked and grabbed a piece of her toast. "You do realize you essentially described your relationship with them as the one you have with us?"

"I did not!"

"Really? Sirius is the immature one who needs you to make him act more adult? That would be me, although in much nicer terms. And we all know Harry gets stuck in his head all the time."

"No, I don't."

Hermione and Ron rolled their eyes.

"Well, not as much as I used to." He swiped Hermione's last piece of toast, scowling at Ron as he munched on it.

The kitchen was quiet as Ron and Harry ate. Hermione felt the tension leave her shoulders once she realized they weren't going to make her choose between them and the other most important men in her life.

"So, is this real, then?" Harry finally asked. "It's not just a lark?"

Hermione pictured Remus' face as he whispered he loved her, his eyes soft as he kissed her, repeating it over and over, as if now that it was out, he couldn't stop. He was gentler with her last night than he had ever been, nearly worshipping as he loved her. Sirius was fiercer, his movements hard as he pounded, like he wanted to impale himself on her body, her heart. He kept asking her to repeat the words, needing her confirmation. She smiled, her eyes soft. "It's real. I love them."

Harry nodded, his face thoughtful. He exchanged a look with Ron. The redhead sighed, but he stood up and cleared the table. "All right, send them down then."

"What?!"

"You seriously think you are going to go into this relationship without us giving them the 'You hurt our Hermione and we'll hex your balls off' speech?"

She laughed. "You don't have a 'hex your balls off' speech."

"Yeah we do," Harry told her. "You've just never given us a chance to use it."

She stopped laughing. "You're not kidding?"

They shook their heads.

"You're serious?"

"Absolutely," Harry replied.

"Harry, this is ridiculous. Sirius is your godfather; he's the closest thing you have to a father!"

He flinched. "I really am supportive of your relationship, Hermione, but I did not need that visual, OK?"

Ron topped Hermione's coffee and kissed the top of her head. "Take your coffee, here's the paper and go relax while we do this."

"I don't get to be in the room?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll hear all about it," Harry replied as he pulled back her chair and gestured for her to go. Ron gave her a thumbs up as she walked out of the kitchen.

"This isn't happening," she grumbled as she walked up the stairs to Sirius' room.

She pushed open the door to see Remus, awake and partially dressed, leaning against the headboard. He broke out in a smile when he saw her. "Good morning, sweetheart."

Sirius' face was buried in his pillow, but he lifted his head slightly. "Do I smell coffee? Is this how mornings are going to start from now on?"

"Yes, there's coffee, but you need to go downstairs and get it." Hermione set the coffee and paper on the nightstand.

"What? Why didn't you bring us some?" Sirius grabbed her arm and tugged Hermione, tumbling her on top of him. "I know we haven't set the rules of our relationship, love, but its common courtesy for the first one up to bring coffee to the others."

"That's an easy rule to make, Padfoot, when you're the one who sleeps until noon," Remus said dryly.

"So? I'll bring you two nightcaps." He shifted so Hermione was on her back. He slowly unbuttoned her shirt, his lips exploring her skin as it was revealed.

"Sirius?" she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"We can't do this."

"Oh, but we can. I'm quite good at it."

"No, I mean we can't do this now," she pushed him away. Sitting up, she re-buttoned the shirt.

"Is everything OK?" Remus asked.

"Um, kind of. Harry and Ron are here, in the kitchen."

Sirius groaned and fell back on the bed. "What is it about our kitchen that makes everyone show up at all hours of the day?"

"Did you talk?" Remus asked.

She nodded. "We did and everything is fine. They completely support our relationship."

"Good," Sirius said. "Tell them to go home so we can support our relationship, too."

"Well, that's the thing. I talked to them, but now they want to talk to you."

He looked over, one brow raised. "You're kidding, right?"

She shook her head.

"Christ. I'm _not_ having the talk with Harry. I changed his diapers, for Merlin's sake!"

"I wouldn't lead with that," Hermione told him. "While he's completely supportive, the idea of me sleeping with his dad's best friends still freaks him out a bit."

Remus shook his head, resigned. Harry was exactly like Lily when it came to protecting the people he loved. If he felt he needed to have this conversation, he'd suffer through it – for Harry and Hermione, and for Lily. Stretching, he smiled when he caught Hermione staring. "Sweetheart, I'm going to need my shirt.”

She narrowed her eyes at his casual tone. "Can't you go to your room and get another one?"

"Sure, but this is a lot more fun."

Hermione took off his shirt, handing it over with a huff. She recognized the gleam in his eyes and pulled the sheet to her chest, pointing to the doorway. "Both of you go; now!"

"You're no fun," Sirius grumbled. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and shuffled to the door.

"Aren't you going to put on a shirt?"

"No."

"But you look all …"

"All what?" he smirked.

"Like you spent most of the night having sex."

He grinned and winked. "That I did. You, love, were amazing." Waving, he whistled as he walked downstairs. Remus shook his head and followed, leaving his shirt unbuttoned and untucked. Hermione threw herself on the bed.

"This is going to be a disaster."


	24. Chapter 24

Harry watched Ron trace invisible patterns on the oak table, his thoughts on anything but the conversation Hermione was having with Remus and Sirius three floors above them.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Ron asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, who talks first; you or me?"

"I always assumed you."

"Me?!"

"You dated her," Harry said defensively.

"Sirius is your godfather!" Ron shot back. "And I hardly think a couple months of snogging counts as dating."

"It does if you do it in Snape's office."

Ron grinned at the memory. "That was a great night."

"So, we agree. You start because you're the ex-boyfriend."

"Hey, if we're going by that rule, Charlie should be here."

"Charlie?!" Harry exclaimed.

"Like you didn't know." Ron replied, gaping when he saw his friend's shocked expression. "Wow. You really didn't know."

"When did they ….? How long did …? Where was I?"

"I don't know details, mate, but it started not long after she and I realized we weren’t meant to be a couple."

"When did it end?"

He shrugged. "They were never really together, so nothing ever started or ended. I think they were more friends with benefits."

"Does Ginny know?"

"Is there anything my sister doesn't know?"

Harry took of his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "So, you knew Hermione was hooking up with Charlie, but you never thought to give him the 'hex your balls off speech?'"

"Are you crazy? He'd hex my balls off!"

"Who's to say Remus and Sirius won't?"

"Please," Ron drummed his thumbs against the table. "They love you. We're fine."

"Then why are you so nervous?"

Ron put his hands in his lap. "I'm not nervous, mate."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"I hope Hermione appreciates this," Ron said after a moment. "I wasn't looking forward to this when I was sure we'd be talking to Sirius -"

"Remus," Harry interrupted.

"– but both of them? She never does things the easy way."

"Eh, it could be worse," Harry said.

"How so?"

"We could be having this conversation with Fred and George."

Ron shuddered. "I think I'd forgo the whole speech and let Hermione handle them. If she was crazy enough to get involved with those two, she'd deserve everything they'd throw at her and more."

Harry laughed, the tension of the room lifting slightly until he heard two pairs of heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. "Shit," he whispered. "Stand up! We should be standing!"

They jumped to their feet, Ron trying desperately to control the beating of his heart while Harry wished briefly for Ginny. She'd have no qualms giving Remus and Sirius the what for.

"Wait, who's going first again?" Ron hissed, just as Sirius and Remus entered the kitchen, the former with a sullen look on his face.

"Harry. Ron.” He walked to the counter and pouring a cup of coffee. Harry tried not to notice the scratches on his godfather's back, looking away until he was seated at the head of the kitchen table. "Hermione said you wanted to talk to us."

Harry swallowed. He had never seen Sirius so cold before. Even when he escaped from Azkaban, he was so adamant at catching Peter Pettigrew that his emotions were all over the place. This morning, though, he looked like Harry like he was a stranger.

"Uh …" Harry looked at Ron. Ron shook his head.

Sirius sighed. "Out with it, boys. You drag me out of _my_ bed at 8 in the morning to talk to me in _my_ house about a woman who would never do anything without carefully considering every option first."

"Maybe so, Sirius, but we all do crazy things when we're in love," Harry said.

"So you believe we love her?" Remus asked from his seat on the opposite end of the table. "You aren't going to try to talk us into leaving her?"

Ron snickered. "Yeah, right. Then we'd have to worry about Hermione hexing our balls off."

"Look," Sirius rubbed his forehead. "I don't know what you think you're going to accomplish with this conversation. I've already had to listen to your dad tell me I'm not good enough for Hermione, Ron, not to mention your older brother threatening to kill me if I ever hurt her."

"You saw Charlie?" Ron asked.

"We went to Romania yesterday," Remus said.

"You knew about Charlie, too?" Harry turned to Remus.

"It wasn't the world's best secret, Harry," he ducked his head to hide his smile at Harry's look of irritation.

"What'd Charlie say?" Ron asked.

"He said Hermione was not his and that he'd back off."

"And that if we ever hurt her, he'd kill us," Sirius added.

"Damn. That makes our whole 'hex your balls off speech' pretty light in comparison," Ron told Harry.

"Could you _please_ stop talking about hexing people's balls off," Sirius asked. "I'm rather attached to mine."

"Fine. So you've gotten the speech from a few people, but you haven't gotten it from us," Harry said hotly.

"Harry," Remus started.

"No. I know Mr. Weasley thinks of himself as Hermione's surrogate father and Charlie was apparently her boyfriend of sorts -"

"He was never her boyfriend," Sirius grumbled.

"– but we're her best friends. We were a family long before you two ever became part of our lives and no matter how much you love Hermione and she loves you, there are parts of her you'll never touch."

Sirius studied Harry, his mood lifting slightly as he imagined how proud James would be of his boy sticking up for his friend. Like father, like son. "All right. Say your piece."

"She can be a huge pain in the ass," Ron started.

"She hates being wrong," Harry said. "It could be raining outside and she'll insist it's sunny and _nothing_ you say or do will make her change her mind."

"She holds grudges."

"She is the hardest person to shop for at Christmas."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Anything you decide to get her, she'll have already gone out and bought herself."

"Do NOT listen to her when she says a gift certificate is fine," Harry warned. "She doesn't mean it."

"Yeah, try that and you're guaranteed a week of grumbling about how impersonal they are and don't you know her at all?"

"Wait, wait!" Remus held up a hand. "I thought this point of this conversation was for you to lecture us about how we better be good to Hermione or else you'll -"

"Hex your balls off? Yeah," Ron supplied.

"STOP TALKING ABOUT HEXING OUR BALLS OFF!" Sirius roared.

"So why are you going on about her faults?"

"We just want you to know what you're getting into, Remus. Hermione isn’t an easy person to love," Harry said.

"Come on," Remus laughed. "We've lived with her for nearly three years."

"Right. And have they been easy?"

Remus looked at Sirius who shook his head slightly. "Well, no, but -"

"You think because the three of you are shagging on a regular basis that suddenly all those annoying quirks of hers are going to go away?" Ron asked. "Guess what. You love her. That means you'll need to learn to love them."

"Like you have?" Remus smiled.

"Hey, _we_ don't live with her anymore," Harry pointed out.

"But we do know her," Ron said.

"She likes one cup of coffee in the morning and tea the rest of the day," Harry said.

"She rarely wears socks and always complains about her feet being cold."

"I know that one!" Sirius cried. "Drives me crazy."

"She eats chocolate when she's happy and ice cream when she's sad," Ron continued.

"She cries on her parents' birthdays," Harry said.

"And their wedding anniversary," Ron added.

Remus looked at Sirius. Hermione never talked about her parents. He wouldn't go so far to think she didn't miss them, but he wasn't aware that she mourned for them, either.

"She's impossible to care for when she isn't feeling well," Harry said. "Be prepared to force her to go to a healer."

"Oh, and she wants kids, preferably one boy and one girl."

Sirius paled at that. "Kids?"

"She wants to travel the world," Harry said. "Her exact words were 'Watch the sun rise and set in every country.'"

Harry looked at Ron, who nodded slightly. Remus studied their silent conversation, so much like those he has with Sirius, conversations he used to have with James and, a long time ago, Peter. A sudden wave of grief passed over him. Looking across the table, he could tell Sirius was thinking the same thing.

"She loves you.” Harry’s face was somber as he looked at Remus and Sirius. "When she saw us this morning, she was worried, afraid we'd make her choose."

"Us against you," Ron said.

"If it had come to that, she would have chosen us," Harry said.

"You think so?" Sirius challenged.

"I'm not being cocky, Sirius. I'm telling the truth. For so long, we only had each other. That does something to people. If mum had asked dad to choose between you and her, what do you think he would have done?"

Sirius opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Lily never would have done that," Remus said quietly.

"Neither would we," Ron said. "But we're telling you this because we want you to know when it comes to you two and Hermione, she comes first for us."

"We're on her side. Always."

"Even if she's being irrational?" Sirius asked.

"Even then. You two have each other as backup; she has us," Harry said. "That's the way it's going to work and you need to be willing to accept that."

Sirius studied the boy – man – he considered his own. "Where does that leave us?" he asked.

"You're still my godfather; that won't change," Harry grinned. "But that's not going to get you out of domestic disputes."

"Sorry, mate," Ron added.

Remus got a cup of coffee, his head spinning with the amount of information he had to take in so early in the day. He sipped slowly as he studied Sirius, who looked like he was digesting everything, too. Harry and Ron, however, seemed, well, happy; as if they had said what they came to say and were ready to change the subject.

"Oh, there's one more thing – my parents," Ron said.

"Ugh," Sirius groaned. "I can't do this anymore! I can't keep having the 'you-better-treat-her-well conversation' every time I run into a Weasley."

"No, not that," Ron told him. "I was just going to ask that you keep things quiet around them a little longer."

"Why?" Remus asked. "Do you think this won't last?"

"No, I just think mum has enough on her plate with dad's birthday celebration and Harry getting ready to pop the question."

"What?!" Hermione ran into the kitchen, giving up the pretense of not listening by the door. Her hair was still damp from her shower, but at least she was dressed when she threw herself onto Harry's lap, her arms going around his neck as he hugged her.

"I'm so excited!" She jumped up from Harry's lap to circle the table and hug Ron. "When are you going to ask her? What does the ring look like? Oh, is it that one we saw at that place that one time?"

"It is," Harry replied.

"She's going to love it!"

Remus looked at Sirius, who was staring at Hermione with a fascinated look on his face. Reaching out, he pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her soundly, ignoring her protests as she tried to get up.

"Sirius, let me go!"

"Nope. We just got the say-so from Harry and Ron, so I'm going to take advantage of it. I assume that means snogging you in front of them is fine, right boys?"

"As long as you don't go as far as Harry and Ginny did the other night.” Ron pushed back his chair and stood up.

"Shut it," Harry said to Ron.

"Leaving so soon?" Sirius asked, barely paying attention as he nibbled on Hermione's ear, his pulse jumping at her sigh.

"Not soon enough, from the looks of it," Harry laughed and walked to the fireplace.

"Really. Get a room, Hermione," Ron added.

A flash of green and the kitchen was empty except for the people who live in the house.

"Well," Remus placed his cup in the sink. "I think we've heard from every overprotective man in Hermione's life."

"Hmm?" She wasn’t paying attention, her mind more on Sirius' hands, which had sneaked up her sweatshirt, smiling at his growl of approval when his fingers met with bare breasts.

With a laugh, Remus pulled Hermione from Sirius' arms and into his. He lifted her with ease, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist as they left the kitchen.

"Where are we going?" she whispered, her tongue tracing the outline of his ear.

"We were told to get a room," he replied. "I think the dining room will do well to start."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the hex his balls off speech. Back when I wrote HP fanfic obsessively, I think I slipped it in to every story.


	25. Chapter 25

**_The first month_ **

"Do you know how much I love you?" she whispered.

Her hands moved down his back, easing the aches of his monthly change, the scent of the potion she brewed specifically for him every full moon clouding his brain. He mumbled something in response; he wasn't even sure it was words. She laughed softly, the ends of her hair tickling the tip of his nose as she kissed the top of his head.

"Sleep," she told him.

* * *

 

"Why do you have to go?" He was whining. He knew that. He'd _never_ admit to it. He had enough gold for all of them. Why did she insist on leaving their home, their bed, for hours every day? It didn't make sense.

"If I didn't leave, you wouldn't be able to greet me when I returned," she smirked.

That's true. He smiled. "Have a good day."

* * *

 

"Remus! Stop!"

"Don't want to," he muttered. His mouth moved down her neck. His hands clenched the hem of her dress, drawing it further up her legs.

"They're going to notice we're gone," she moaned as his fingers found her.

"Mmm … you're so wet, my love," he murmured. "Do you really want me to stop?"

She pushed him back so she could pull her dress off completely. She grabbed his shirt and kissed him. She loved the feel of his body against hers as he pressed her into the door of the Weasleys broom closet, not even caring that the handle was lodged in her back.

"Hurry," she whispered.

* * *

 

**_The second month_ **

"I thought we agreed not to stop by unannounced."

"You agreed, Harry; I said no such thing," Ginny told him as she walked through the house. Finding the media room and game room empty, she took the stairs to Hermione's room.

"Plus," Ron added, "we were specifically told not to be in their kitchen before 10 a.m. ever again. It's 2 in the afternoon and we're not in the kitchen."

Harry shook his head, but followed, wincing slightly as Ginny peeked in each bedroom.

"You can open your eyes, Harry; they're not engaged in sexual debauchery."

"You haven't accidentally walked in on them; it's not restricted to bedrooms."

"Yeah," Ron said. "I refuse to celebrate a holiday here until they get a new dining room table."

* * *

 

"How can you say that?" she yelled.

"How can you?" he hollered back.

"Because studies have shown that -"

"Fuck the studies! There are some thing that can't be explained with books and logic, Hermione! Why are you so damn stubborn?"

"I'm not stubborn, I'm -"

"You're WRONG!" he roared, his blood boiling. He was always on edge just before a full moon. She knew this. Why was she pushing him? He couldn't be rational right now, especially when she was obviously wrong and refusing to back down.

She stared at him, her eyes wide. Not saying a word, she walked out of the library, not even glancing at Sirius as they passed on the stairs. He grabbed her arm. "Don't let it bother you, love. You know how he gets this time -"

"I don't want to hear it."

* * *

 

"Are you coming to bed?"

Hermione looked up from her book. She was sitting on the floor, her back against the basement door, the wolf prowling restlessly on the other side. She shook her head.

Sirius crouched on his knees. "You know everything will be better in the morning, right?"

She nodded. He kissed her on the forehead, lingering, then ran a hand down her hair. "Good night, Hermione."

* * *

 

 T ** _he third month_**

"It doesn't make any sense. If he's writing about a bird, why doesn't he just say the word bird?"

"It's not really about a bird. The bird is a metaphor for freedom, our innate desire to fly above the troubles of the world."

"What?"

Remus shook his head and turned his attention back to his book as Sirius and Hermione continued to argue over the poem. He had no idea why either one thought reading poems aloud would be relaxing activity. The rain perhaps? The laziness of the day? Sirius' hope that his voice would entice Hermione to take on other indoor activities...

"Remus, would you please explain -"

"Oh, sure; complain to the professor."

He rolled his eyes and kept reading.

* * *

 

"Hermione? Love, will you please look at us?"

"I just want to be alone," she avoided their gaze as she stared out the window. Silent tears streamed down her face.

"Sweetheart … you don't have to be alone. Please, let us help you."

"I miss her so much," she whispered.

Sirius shifted nervously, worried that what seemed like a great idea two days ago would be wrong. Sighing, he placed the cupcake on the window seat.

"What's that?" she asked.

"We … we thought you might want to wish your mom a happy birthday, blow out the candle in her honor."

A fresh wave of tears fell, harder, her breath gasping with each sob.

"We're sorry." Remus dropped to the floor beside her. "We're sorry, we just wanted to …"

"No! It's perfect," she told them, smiling at the chocolate treat. "She would have loved you."

* * *

**_The fourth month_ **

" … I believe I speak for all of us when I say 'Congratulations Ginny and Harry!' Cheers!"

Hermione lifted her champagne flute, toasting her friends' engagement, blinking back tears at the complete look of happiness on their faces. Ron was so nervous about his speech, practicing it over and over, owling her at all hours for input. She told him if he had studied this hard at Hogwarts, he would have gotten more Outstandings on his O.W.L.s.

"Happy?" Sirius moved beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. To the casual observer, it would look like a relaxed greeting. Only they knew what had happened in the orchard moments before.

"You have a twig in your hair, sweetheart," Remus whispered from her other side.

"Oh, Merlin."

* * *

 

She stretched on the couch, as supple as a cat. He continued to run his hand up and down her feet in his lap, focused on the book in front of him. After a few minutes, she jerked a foot upward, knocking the book from his hands.

"I want to play." She slowly unbuttoned her shirt.

"My life is so hard," he replied.

* * *

 

**_The fifth month_ **

She picked at the eggs on her plate, her thoughts focused on problems at work; not breakfast. She wasn't sleeping well, staying up late to translate documents thousands of years older than she. They knew she no longer liked her job, the bureaucracy of the Ministry killing her enthusiasm for research, for knowledge, but every time one of them brought up the subject of quitting, she'd yell and accuse them of sexism.

"Hey, Remus?" Sirius said, looking up from the _Daily Prophet,_ winking slyly at his friend _._ "Did you hear about the break in at Hogwarts?"

"Really? What was taken?"

"A lot of confiscated student items. They finished a complete inventory and plan to announce arrests at a press conference this afternoon. People are already accusing Fred and George Weasley, given they had ties to most of the missing items."

Hermione snatched the paper from Sirius' hands. "That was months ago! They had nothing to do -" Her eyes narrowed as she skimmed the newspaper. There was nothing but sports and Ministry drabble; Hogwarts was never mentioned.

"I'd run now, Sirius Black," she threatened.

* * *

 

"Oh God. Oh God."

"Breathe, love," he told her.

"Oh God. Oh God."

"In and out, sweetheart," he urged.

"I don't have a job. I quit. I marched in there and I quit. I didn't even give them notice!"

"It will be fine, love."

"How can you say that? How do you know?"

"I have you. How can anything be less than incredible?"

* * *

 

**_The sixth month_ **

"This game is stupid!"

"Stop being a poor loser and give me the money."

He threw it across the board, wishing he could go back in time and stop this stupid game from every being invented. He glared at the little silver dog, sitting on Boardwalk without a care in the world.

"Can we play Twister next? I like that game."

"Are you going to make me play naked again?"

"Yes."

"OK."

* * *

 

"How was dress shopping?"

"I don't know how Ginny does it," she cried, eyes wild, her hair no longer in its sensible braid. She grabbed Remus’ glass of and downed it in in swallow. She picked up Sirius' and repeated the gesture. "Eight stores! We went to eight stores and Mrs. Weasley still doesn't like any of the dresses! I tell you, everyone will be at this wedding naked if they don't make a decision soon!"

"That sounds like an amazing idea, sweetheart."

She winked and slid onto his lap, her fingers toying with the collar of his T-shirt. "I'm known for my amazing ideas," she murmured. "Want to hear all of them or should I show you?"

* * *

 

**_The seventh month_ **

"I told you. I am NOT sleeping in a room that's painted black."

"I like black."

"I don't."

"It's my room."

"Not anymore; it's _our_ room, unless you want me to stay on the second floor."

He turned to Remus for help. He just shrugged. It's been half a year. It no longer made sense for the three of them to move room-to-room.

"A compromise.” She studied the paint samples taped the wall. "Gray."

He imagined what it would look like in candlelight, her body pressed against it, head back as he knelt before her and made her scream. "Gray works."

* * *

 

"Do we have to go home?"

He looked at her, tan and relaxed. The last two weeks in Tahiti have been among the greatest in his life. All they did was eat, sleep, relax and make love. They watched the sunrise every morning and the sunset every night.

"The wedding is next month. Our presence is required," he said.

She grumbled and turned onto her stomach, smiling when Sirius removed the top of her bikini, his fingers trailing up and down her back.

"Well, maybe we can stay another day," Remus conceded.

* * *

 

**_The eighth month_ **

"Are you happy?" he asked. The brilliant smile on her face the only answer he needed.

He had watched as she walked down the aisle, her eyes on Harry and Ron at the front of the ceremony, the three sharing one of their secret looks, before her eyes slid to the men on their left. Charlie couldn't believe his parents were still unaware that their Hermione was very much in love with the werewolf and animagus.

"I'd be happier if your mother would stop pushing every available Weasley and Prewitt male in my face," she laughed.

"Tell her the truth and she'll stop," Charlie told her.

"And disown me in the process."

"You don't know that."

She shook her head. "I've already lost one mother. I won't lose yours, too."

* * *

 

**_The ninth month_ **

"You're pregnant!"

"But it's so soon!"

"You _just_ got married!"

"I can't believe you knocked up my sister."

She sat on the chair, watching Ginny and Harry beam with their news. Mrs. Weasley was on the couch, laughing and crying. Mr. Weasley was stunned. The twins looked like they were up to something, but then again they always look like they're up to something. She smiled at her friends, her heart full with the news, not noticing the two men watching her.

* * *

 

 "It's time," he leaned on the pool cue.

The other grunted, studying the layout on the table, swearing when he missed his shot. Nearly 10 months have passed since Hermione suckered him in pool and he had yet to beat her. If she knew about the extra practice they put in when she was sleeping, she'd never let them hear the end of it.

"Sirius?"

"I know. I'm ready. I've been ready."

"But now she's ready, too.”

* * *

 

**_The tenth month_ **

"We should have asked for help."

"Who were we going to ask? Harry? Ron? You do realize those boys turn to Hermione whenever they have a problem."

He bent over to peer at the rings a little closer. They were nice, sure. Sparkly. Big. But they weren't her.

* * *

 

The kitchen smelled of gingerbread; the library of pine tree. The dining room table (a new table; Ron insisted) was set for dinner, presents on every seat.

"Tomorrow will be wonderful." He promised as she reviewed her list to make sure every task had a checkmark by it.

"I think that's all.” She leaned against him with a happy sigh. He smelled like vanilla, probably from sneaking into the container of frosted cookies she specifically told him was for tomorrow.

"Are we done?" Sirius asked, bounding down the stairs. "Can we go now?"

" _We_ ," she grinned, "just finished."

"Great! Coats, shoes, hats, gloves! Let's go!"

"I can't believe you talked me into sledding on Christmas Eve."

* * *

 

**_The eleventh month_ **

"I hate this tie."

"Then don't wear it."

"You told me to dress up. A tie is dressing up."

"No, I said 'Wear something nice; no jeans.' The word tie did not come up in conversation at all."

He glared at Remus, who looked very much at home in his navy blue suit with light blue collared shirt and no tie. Maybe if he had paired his gray trousers and maroon button-down shirt with a jacket, he could have gotten away without a tie, too.

"Stop fidgeting."

"Did you know I haven't worn a tie since Hogwarts?"

"That's fascinating, Padfoot. Might I suggest you lead with that?"

He glared at his friend and told himself he wasn't nervous. He wasn't. He hated dressing up; that's all. He can't breathe because if the damn tie. His palms are sweaty because of the damn tie. He feels like he's going to faint because of the damn tie.

"Hey, isn't that the one we used to tie her to the bed?"

He loved this tie.

* * *

 

"Remus! Sirius! Come in, come in!"

"Thank you." Remus ducked his tall frame under the doorway. Sirius followed, not trusting himself to speak.

"Molly! They're here!"

There was a crash from the kitchen and Molly came running out, her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry," she said. "Ginny has the worst case of morning sickness and none of the potions are working, so I'm trying a muggle recipe Hermione gave me."

Neither Weasley noticed how the wizards flinched at Hermione's name. Arthur gestured to the living room, where he and Molly sat in their armchairs and faced the two wizards who sat, rather stiffly, on the couch. "So, why did you need to see us today? Is everything all right with Hermione? With you?"

"We're fine, Arthur, fine," Remus assured him. "Um, well, first, thank you for taking the time to meet with us. I know you are busy with work and Molly, you have you hands full with the new baby on the way and Ron's engagement."

"If it's not one thing, it's another with this family," she grinned.

"Right and we will always be grateful that you've made us part of your family," Remus told her, blushing at the tears in her eyes. He looked at Sirius, his eyes wide.

_Your turn._

"Um, we've been thinking about family a lot lately; watching Harry marry Ginny and get ready for fatherhood. It does something to a man," Sirius said.

"That is does," Arthur agreed.

"A lot has happened this past year …" Remus said.

The Weasleys nodded.

"And one of the bigger things, well, it's been kept a secret from you."

"What do you mean?" Molly asked.

"We're in love with Hermione!"

Arthur and Molly stared at Sirius, who looked aghast at his outburst. They had a plan. They had a speech. They had spent weeks working on their speech. Why did he yell that? What possessed him to impart such delicate information in such a crazy manner? Arthur had an anxious look on his face and Molly … well, it was hard to read Molly. Everyone could hear the sound of the clock ticking as the three men waited for her to react.

"So," she said finally. "You've finally decided to 'fess up, have you?"

"What?" Remus asked.

"Oh, please. I've known about the three of you since before there was a three of you. Anyone could see it!"

"What?" Sirius said.

"Frankly, I'm surprised it took as long for you to get together as it did. I thought once Harry left, the deed would be done within a week, but I was wrong. It took nearly six months, am I right? Of course, poor Hermione was still so sad and you both had your own demons to deal with, but I think everyone has improved, wouldn't you say so, Arthur?"

"Uh, yes. Yes, I would."

She nodded, satisfied with his response. "I assume you gave them the talk?"

"Oh, yes. Months and months ago."

"Good," she sat back and looked at the men who were slack jawed at the turn of events. Both had prepared arguments to sway Molly to their side, never imagining the matriarch would be thrilled with their announcement. "So, why are you here today, gentlemen?"

Remus looked at Sirius, who nodded. "We want your blessing.”

"Our blessing?" Molly repeated.

Sirius took out a velvet box and sat it on the coffee table. "We're going to ask Hermione to marry us."

Molly burst out crying. Arthur wrapped an arm around her, "There, there, love," he murmured. "This is what you wanted, remember?"

"I know, I know," she said, sniffling. "I'm just so happy!"

Remus and Sirius sat, uncomfortably, and waited for Molly to calm down, only to set off another set of tears when they showed her the ring. When they left the Borrow an hour later, they were spent – emotionally and physically.

"Well," Sirius threw an arm around his friend, "all that's left to do now is ask the girl."


	26. Chapter 26

They tried planning. They tried plotting. They got rip-roaring drunk.

Nothing worked.

"Let's just ask after dinner," Sirius suggested. He was lying on the floor of library; the only room they felt safe discussing engagement plans as both would hear Hermione coming upstairs long before she'd overhear them.

"That's not romantic."

"Oh, and we've been extremely romantic in this relationship so far," he replied. "Let's see, the first time she kissed us was because I made her break into Hogwarts. The second time she kissed us was a challenge. My first time with her was on a chair. Yours was on the second floor landing. We -"

"Point made, Padfoot."

"Thank you."

"Maybe that's why romance should play a role in this."

Sirius sighed. It wasn't that he had a problem with romance. He could be romantic, but it was a spur of the moment gestures – like the time he dragged Hermione outside to dance in the rain or when he replaced her bookmark with flowers. But planning a romantic moment? If the last month was any indication, it couldn't be done.

Remus slouched further in his chair, and clasped his hands, staring at them as if the answer was there of he concentrated hard enough. They loved her. She loved them. Why was this so damn hard?

"Hello!?"

"Remus? Sirius?"

"Were you expecting Fred and George?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head. "We're in the library," he shouted.

A moment later, the twins were there, smiles on their faces.

"Whatever you're up to, the answer is no," Sirius said, still lying on the ground.

"We're not up to anything, mate. We're here to ask you, and Hermione, to come out with us tonight."

"Why?" Remus asked.

"Because it's the dead of winter and we feel like drinking," George said.

"If you remember correctly, it was about a year ago we all met up at The Leaky Cauldron and had a fun evening," Fred added, a comment that made Remus perk up a little.

"If our math is correct –"

"And it probably isn't because we hate math -"

"Your whole campaign to get Hermione back started that night -"

"And look where you are now."

"You're welcome," they both said.

Remus stood up, holding out his hand to help Sirius up, too. "If we go, you agree to help us with something - and there can be _no_ deviation from the plan. Agreed?"

Their eyes sparkled in anticipation. "Agreed."

"What are you planning, Moony?"

"I'll tell you later. Fred, George, Hermione will be home in a minute. Wait for her in the kitchen, ask her to come out tonight; she'll say no, but we'll talk her into it. We'll be down in the few minutes."

They took off.

"You have a spark in your eye. I love that spark. It means good things are going to happen. What's the plan?"

Remus smiled slowly. "Remember how Hermione set us up?"

"I'm trying to forget. Thanks for that."

"Well, we're going to do the same for her. Different game, though."

Sirius smiled. "Go on."

* * *

 

She walked through the fireplace, her tote stuffed with books. The decision to leave her job at the Ministry wasn't easy, but her choice to go back to school, of sorts, to learn how to be a healer made perfect sense. She loved it. She loved the training, the learning, the teaching. She loved seeing that her work made a difference right away, rather than a report that sat in another wizard's in box for months unread.

Humming, she heaved her heavy bag on a chair and walked to the stove to put on the kettle, letting out a shriek when she turned around to see Fred and George at the kitchen table.

"I'd take that as an insult if I wasn't secure in your love for me," Fred told her.

"When did you get here? Why are you here?"

"A few minutes ago and we're taking you out tonight!" George replied.

"What?"

"Yes, you, me, George and the two old guys upstairs you were foolish to choose over us – we're going to hit the town."

Hermione laughed. "I don't think so. I need to study."

"Whoa! Hogwarts flashback." George shuddered.

"Ha ha," she told him, getting up to fetch the tea, taking down cups for Fred and George, too.

"Come on, Hermione," Fred whined. "We never see you anymore."

"Don't you love us?"

"My affections for you are no less today than they were yesterday," she replied.

"Um, thank you?" George replied, a confused look on his face.

Laughing, she brought the tea to the table and propped her feet on an empty chair. "Catch me up on everything in your lives, starting with Ginny."

Rolling his eyes, Fred launched into the latest round of pregnancy news, stopping only when Remus and Sirius entered the kitchen, both leaning down to kiss Hermione hello.

"Is that what you're wearing?" Remus asked.

Hermione looked down at the khaki pants and navy blue button-down shirt she wore under her robes. "For what?"

"For tonight. We're going out!" Sirius stole her cup and finished her tea.

"You agreed? But it's so cold out -"

"Don't care!" He helped her out of her seat. "Go! We're leaving in 30 minutes."

"This feels vaguely familiar," she grumbled, but left the kitchen.

Remus held up a finger, waiting for the telltale click of their bedroom door on the third floor.

"Here's the plan."

* * *

 

"That did not happen!" Hermione cried. She was laughing so hard, tears streamed down her face as she disputed Fred's telling of their Yule Ball dance lessons. Tipping her glass, she finished her wine, debating whether or not she should have another. It was the end of the week, after all. She didn't have to work tomorrow. She was so focused on her internal debate, she didn't notice the nod Remus gave George.

"Oi! Who's up for a game?"

"What kind of game?" Remus asked suspiciously.

"We learned this from Wood, who learned it from a friend in the states. It's called Never Have I Ever.'"

"How it works," Fred explained, "is we all have shots and one person says something they've never done. If you haven't done whatever they said, you don't drink, but if you _have_ done it, you drink."

"Seems easy enough," Sirius said.

"I'll start," Fred said, once the shots of firewhiskey have been poured. "Never have I ever told a person, outside of my family, I loved them."

Hermione drank. So did Sirius and Remus.

George: "Never have I ever woken up thanking my lucky stars for the person lying next to me."

Hermione drank. So did Sirius and Remus.

Remus cleared his throat. "Never have I ever considered asking someone to marry me."

Hermione watched, eyes wide, as Remus and Sirius drank.

Sirius grinned. “Never have I ever spent a month waiting for the perfect moment to ask the question."

Remus and Sirius drank again.

Fred jumped in. “Never have I ever bought an engagement ring."

Remus and Sirius picked up their glasses again. Hermione's mouth dropped open.

“Never have I -" George began.

"Stop!" Hermione cried. "If this is your idea of a game, it's not funny and I want to go home." She moved to get out of her chair but couldn't because two wizards had dropped to one knee on either side of her.

"It's not a game, love," Sirius said.

"We've been trying to come up with a way to ask you this question for weeks, but when it comes to plans, well, that's your job," Remus said.

"So instead you turn to alcohol?" she joked, her heart pounding as she slowly realized no one was laughing. Was this real? Were they proposing?

"Liquid courage, love." Sirius reached into his pocket and took out a small box.

"Marry us, sweetheart," Remus said softly.

"Please," Sirius added.

Hermione barely heard him as she stared at the ring. It was a platinum band with one perfect pearl surrounded by black sapphires.

"Moony and Padfoot," she whispered. She looked at each man carefully. "You aren't kidding?"

They shook their heads.

"You're not drunk?"

They shook their heads again.

"We can vouch for them," Fred said. "You're the only one drinking the real stuff tonight."

"Am I dreaming?" she asked.

"If you are, then I've been dreaming for the past year." Remus leaned forward to kiss her lightly on her shoulder. "Don't make me wake up, sweetheart. I want to dream all my dreams with you."

"This is the ultimate challenge, love," Sirius smirked though his eyes showed a hint of worry.

Laughing, Hermione threw an arm around both wizards, hugging and kissing them as she said "Yes" over and over.

Fred and George set off a handful of Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs to celebrate.


	27. Chapter 27

She was quiet as she walked, her steps unusually slow, almost cautious. She was wearing red heeled sandals that matched the cherries printed on her light brown sundress, but both men knew they weren't the reason for her careful steps. She was nervous. More than six months had passed since she burst into Grimmauld Place, crying that there was no way she'd ever survive wedding planning with Molly Weasley. After two hours of hyperventilating and more tears than either man ever wanted to deal with again, the trio came to a decision.

No wedding.

Instead, they packed their bags, sent owls to their friends and loved ones, and left to travel the world, beginning with a safari in South Africa. They went rock climbing in Croatia, explored the museums of Italy, hiked the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, and searched the temples of Japan. They spent a month in the states alone. Sirius fell in love with Las Vegas, Remus with Boston, and Hermione with New York City. In May, on a private beach in Belize, they performed a bonding ceremony, saying the ancient spell that tied the three of them together.

Always.

Despite the almost desperate grip she had on her husbands' hands, Hermione wouldn't change anything. She didn't need the pageantry or the crowds that surrounded what she considered the most personal of ceremonies. She never wanted that, but as months went by without communication with Molly Weasley, she worried her actions caused a rift with her surrogate mother that couldn't – wouldn’t – be forgiven.

"Sweetheart, I promise it will be OK." Remus lifted her hand to his mouth, gently kissing her knuckles. She smiled at the gold band on his hand, the engraving a series of interlocking H's and R's. Sirius opted for hammered platinum for his ring, Hermione's name a cursive script inside the band, while two thin bands of white gold were added to either side of her engagement ring.

Sirius squeezed her other hand, his own nerves preventing him from comforting her further. Harry's son, James, arrived a few weeks ago. This afternoon's lunch at the Burrow would be the first time they’d meet James, the first time they'd see everyone after months of travels.

She nodded, her breath hitching slightly as the Burrow came into view.

"HERMIONE!"

Two figures came running out of the front door. Hermione dropped her husbands' hands and took off and straight into the arms of Harry and Ron. The momentum of their greeting and her less than graceful sprinting in heels caused all three to tumble to the ground in laughter.

"She really would have chosen them over us, wouldn't she?" Remus asked, smiling at the three adults who suddenly looked like the awkward 13-year-olds he met on the train so many years ago.

"Let's make sure we never give her a reason," Sirius replied, grinning as Harry helped Hermione to her feet, dragging her into the house.

* * *

 

"He's beautiful." Hermione stared at the tiny bundle in Ginny's arms. Like his father and his namesake, James had a headful of dark hair, already unruly as he shifted in his mother's arms, opening his eyes briefly before falling back asleep.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Hermione nodded. She sat on Ginny's bed, swallowing the tears that threatened to fall the moment her best friends' son was placed in her arms. Noticing Ginny's struggle not to cry, too, both women smiled shakily.

"I missed you." Ginny leaned against Hermione’s arm.

Hermione rested her head on Ginny's. "I missed you, too. I'm sorry I wasn't here …"

Ginny dismissed it with a wave of her arm. "I understand. We all do. Public displays were never your thing, or Remus'."

"But not Sirius," Hermione laughed softly as she brushed a finger against James' chubby cheek.

"No," Ginny agreed. "No one could ever accuse him of avoiding the spotlight."

Hermione looked at her friend. "But it was what we wanted; what we needed."

Ginny smiled. "Then that's all that matters."

* * *

 

Sirius bounced his legs, a nervous habit Hermione liked to tease him about. Harry had just left the room to go get James. Remus was talking to Arthur. He had no one to distract him from the enormity of the moment. He shouldn't be the one sitting here, waiting for his godson to show off his first born child. James should be here. And Lily. He looked down, the tears he had swallowed since he first learned of Harry's boy threatening to fall.

"Hey.” Hermione sat next to him, her leg pressed against his. She took his hand, squeezing as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You're going to be OK."

He nodded, standing at the sound of footsteps on the stairs, pulling Hermione up with him. She wrapped an arm around his waist and watched as Harry carried James to Sirius with a proud smile.

"I want you to meet James Sirius Potter."

Hands shaking, Sirius took the bundle from Harry. Two tears slid down his cheeks as he stared at the boy who looks so much as Harry did when he was born. Nodding to Harry, Hermione had him take her spot next to Sirius, and went to stand with Remus. He had a wistful smile on his face.

"Are you going to say hello?" she asked.

He kissed her forehead. "In a minute," he told her. "Sirius needs this right now."

The two men sit on the couch had nearly identical awed expressions as the baby in the older wizard's arms let out a squeak. Hermione felt something tug at her. Harry finally had his family. He had wanted one so long and while he formed his own, first with her and Ron, then the Weasleys, then Sirius, _this_ was the moment he wanted. This was the reason the three of them fought so hard, sacrificed so much.

_This is peace_.

* * *

 

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione peeked in the kitchen, her heart pounding as she looked for the familiar figure. The room was empty, a temporary reprieve. Walking all the way in, she stood by the table, gripping her hands. The back door opened and Molly walked in, a bouquet of flowers in her arms.

"Hermione!" she cried, dropping the flowers so she could hug the girl tightly. "When did you get here?"

"About an hour ago," she said, returning the hug.

"Sit, my girl, sit!" Molly pushed Hermione into a chair. "Tell me everything before the boys come in here demanding food."

"That doesn't give us much time," Hermione laughed.

She watched as Molly charmed the flowers into several vases, and shared stories about their adventures, trying to remember what she shared in the owls she sent to the Borrow and what she didn't.

"Tell me about the ceremony, Hermione," Molly requested.

Hermione looked down at the table. "It was lovely; exactly what I wanted."

Molly nodded.

"I … I'm sorry I left without saying anything. I was so worried I'd hurt your feelings, I hurt your feelings anyway."

Molly reached across the table and took Hermione's hand. "Now, you stop that. That's what you wanted and if there's ever a day a woman should get what she wants, it's the day she gets married. I'm sorry I didn't realize that before."

Hermione smiled. "I wish you could have been there."

Molly nodded. "Me, too."

"How bad do you want that, love?"

Hermione turned around to see Remus in the doorway. "Want what?"

"Well … everyone we care about is here. There's a great big yard all set up for lunch. How hard would it be to have a quick ceremony before we eat?"

Molly jumped up, her eyes alight with excitement. "Remus Lupin, you are the smartest man I know!"

Hermione stood slowly. "Are you sure?"

"Why else would your wedding dress be in Ginny's bedroom?" he asked.

* * *

 

"You look beautiful," Ginny told her.

The strapless white dress was held up by a crisscross bodice that showed off Hermione's figure. Draping chiffon flowed around her legs. She twisted her hair into a loose knot, pinning it with the pearl hair clips Sirius bought her in Beijing, and left several curls brushing against her bare shoulders. She didn't wear shoes to their beach ceremony, a practice she was willing to continue as they repeated the spell in the Weasleys' backyard. She picked up the pink lily Harry gave her and nodded for Ginny to open the door.

"What do you think, Dad?" the redhead asked.

Arthur swallowed, still not over the fact that Hermione requested he walk her down the aisle. The young woman before him brought back all the emotions he felt on Ginny's wedding day came back. He kissed her cheek. "You are a vision, my girl."

* * *

 

Sirius didn't know why he was nervous. He had done this before. The ceremony they performed on the beach was ancient magic, purer than any that came after it, unbreakable in the strongest sense of the word. Only people who mean every word could complete the ceremony successfully. He meant it then and he’ll mean it now. Nothing will ever change his feelings for Hermione Granger-Lupin-Black. He glanced over at Remus. The werewolf was staring intently at the back door. "You all right there, Moony?"

Remus smiled as he caught sight of Hermione, holding tight to Arthur's arm, as she walked down the pathway Molly had quickly strewn with flower petals. "Never better, Padfoot."

Hermione expected to be nervous. She was essentially doing what made her run away before, but as she walked through the grass – grinning at Ron and Harry, nodding at professors McGonagall and Slughorn, laughing at Fred and George who whispered "There's still time; run!" – she couldn't remember why this had scared her. Her eyes went to the two men standing by Kingsley Shacklebolt, one on other side, and she smiled, trying to convey everything she felt in that moment – happiness, peace, hope – in the curve of her lips. She saw Sirius let out the breath she knew he didn't realize he was holding, Remus' eyes never wavering as he watched her progression, and knew they understood.

* * *

 

"So, what's next, mate?"

Remus accepted the glass of firewhiskey from Fred. "What do you mean?"

"You got the girl –" George started.

"You saw the world –" Fred continued.

"And you completed every crazy challenge the three of you could come up with."

"So, I ask again, what's next?"

Remus looked towards Hermione. She was holding James, swaying back and forth slowly as she talked to Ron and Luna Lovegood.

"I have an idea," he murmured.

* * *

 

"Are you happy to be home, love?"

She murmured something Sirius took as a yes, her body slumped on his, her face buried in his neck. Remus was lying next to them, his own breathing choppy as they all came down from the heights they brought each other to moments before. Sirius ran a hand down Hermione's back and grinned at the catch in her breath as he listened to his own heartbeat slow.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Remus moved over so Hermione could lie between them.

She sighed. "I should probably look into beginning my studies again. Madame Pomfrey said I could take an exam, see if it's possible to pick up where I was when we left."

"You don't sound terribly excited." Sirius rolled to his side to look at her.

She shrugged. "I don't know if I want to dive back into it. We've been gone so long. I want to spend time with Harry and Ron, Ginny, the baby …"

"There's nothing wrong with that, sweetheart," Remus told her. "I think we all want that."

She nodded, not looking at either of them as she stared at the ceiling. She nibbled on her lower lip. "James is beautiful, isn't he?"

"Quite possible the best-looking baby in the world," Sirius agreed.

Hermione nodded.

"I can't imagine anyone having a cuter baby," Remus remarked. "Except for us."

Hermione sat up, turning to face both men who were watching her with smiles on their faces. "Really?" she asked. "We're going to make a baby?"

"Well," Sirius replied, "there's two of us, so eventually we're going to have to make more than one, but one will do to start."

Hermione threw herself at him, kissing him enthusiastically before doing the same to Remus. She laid back down and stared dreamily at the ceiling, trying to picture what their children would look like. She let out a soft chuckle.

"What?" Remus asked.

"Nothing," she replied. A minute later, she started laughing.

"What?!" Sirius cried.

"I just remembered how there were three things we never said we'd do: go to a nightclub, fly on a broom and take knitting lessons."

"Right …" her husbands replied.

"Well, Remus, you went to a night club that night I went out with Harry and everyone –"

He leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "Only for you, sweetheart."

"Sirius, you got me to fly over the Grand Canyon -"

"The line for the tour was too long," he told her.

Hermione smirked. "How much do you want to bet I have the two of you knitting a baby blanket by Christmas?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the epilogue to go!


	28. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to upload this before my trip, but you know how it goes. I got back to the states four days ago and I'm still processing everything. I'm overwhelmed by the choices I have every day. Even choosing what to wear seems too much. The experience, going to Africa, seeing people who have so little and yet appear happy in a way we struggle to be ... it's difficult to describe.
> 
> It was a life-altering experience. I hope to do it again. No, not hope; will. I WILL do it again.

"Breathe, sweetheart."

"Just like that, love."

Hermione gasped as another wave of pain cut through her body, her fingernails digging into Remus' skin as her grip on his hands tightened. He sucked in his breath when her actions drew blood, but wisely said nothing, remembering how she had screamed at Sirius when he called her grasp painful.

"I'll show you painful, Sirius Black!" she yelled, her eyes flashing in anger before she burst into tears. They hated when she cried. They would rather be hexed, be cursed, or be forced to sleep in a room other than the one they shared than see her cry.

"You're doing well, Hermione," Healer Thomas announced cheerfully as the contraction passed, not noticing the dangerous glint in the woman's eyes. "It shouldn't be long now."

Lying bastard, Hermione thought as she collapsed against Remus' chest, the werewolf having climbed in the bed behind her, her body cradled between his legs, to provide comfort during labor while Sirius paced the room, wincing every time Hermione moved, bracing himself for another scream, another threat to castrate the bastards who did this to her.

"Are you sure this is normal?" he asked the medi-wtich smirking over Hermione's creative outbursts. Women often cursed their husbands during labor, but her threats were practically an art form.

"Perfectly, Mr. Black. Women have been having babies since the beginning of time. Your wife is fine."

He looked at the petite woman who had her eyes closed, mouth partially opened as she breathed deeply. Her face was flushed, sweaty. Several curls stuck to her forehead. He walked to the table at the side of her bed, picked up a white cotton cloth and dipped it in a container of cool water. He wiped her forehead as Remus whispered words of praise in her ears.

"… so strong … so amazing … I love you …"

She opened her eyes. She looked exhausted. "I can't do this," she whimpered.

"Yes, you can," Sirius told her, taking one of her hands from Remus and kissing her wrist. He hoped she didn't hear the shakiness in his voice.

When the trio decided to have a child, Hermione didn't want to choose a husband to impregnate her. She suggested they continue to be together as they always were and accept whatever happened. As reality set in, however, Remus' lycanthropy fears returned. He wasn't scared of passing his curse to his child – Hermione's years of research and lectures had cured him of that – but he did worry about how the wolf would react to a shared cub because that's what their children would be: his, Hermione's and Sirius' – no matter the baby's paternity. Because of this, their plans to start a family were put on hold as Hermione researched rituals that would guarantee Moony's acceptance of their offspring.

_"I think I found something," she announced as she walked into the library. She stood in front of Remus until he set his book aside so she could curl up on his lap. Passing the book in her hands to Sirius, she leaned against Remus and closed her eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair. Everyone was quiet as Sirius read the paged Hermione had marked._

_"Well hell," Sirius sighed._

_"What?" Remus tightened his hold on Hermione, desperate to know what Hermione discovered but also afraid anything she uncovered would be asking too much of them._

_"Apparently the only way we can have a family is if we form a Pack," Sirius read._

_Remus shook his head. "No."_

_Hermione sat up. "You wouldn't change us, Remus. Sirius and I would remain human; you'd only mark us as yours and be the Alpha. Any children born to the Pack would automatically come under your care because of that designation."_

_"No," he repeated, moving her off of his lap and walking out of the library._

_Hermione turned toward Sirius. "Honestly, I expected you to have a bigger problem with this than Remus."_

_Sirius shrugged. Was he thrilled about the idea of Remus' mark being on Hermione for the rest of their days? No. Did he want to be marked? No. Did he want to have a child with the woman he loved? Did he want to raise that child with two of the greatest people he knew?_

_Yes._

Remus brushed Hermione's hair over her right shoulder so he could kiss the faint scar on her collarbone. It took several weeks before Sirius and Hermione were able to talk Remus into the ritual – and several nights of the werewolf sleeping on the couch in the library until he decided to stop being so stubborn. Once he agreed, though, Sirius demanded a marking of his own.

_"It's only fair," he stated as Hermione glared at him while Remus tried to hide his smile. Sirius had been on his back to get a tattoo for decades._

_They performed the ceremony in the Forest of Dean the night of their first wedding anniversary. The ritual itself wasn't sexual in nature – copulation wasn't necessary for Remus to designate Hermione and Sirius as Pack – but Sirius insisted they make it a carnal experience if only to make the moment his friend broke his skin less awkward. Hermione responded by taking the Animagus deep in her throat minutes after Remus bit her. She was on her knees before him, engulfing him as one hand circled his cock, moving up and down in time with her mouth while the other cupped his testicles. Sirius was so entranced by her actions that he didn't even feel Remus' bite, the rush of magic that flowed through him after resulting in one of his most frantic couplings with their wife._

_Their child was conceived that night._

Remus felt Hermione tense, a sign that another contraction was coming. He closed his eyes, wishing he could take the pain away. There were potions that eased the pain of contractions, but nothing that would get rid of them completely. A witch's magic was often unstable during pregnancy and birth. The best way to eliminate the possibility of spontaneous bursts of magic was to keep the process as natural as possible.

Hermione let out a low moan. Remus was convinced that none of this was natural.

"You're supposed to talk to me," she gasped, her eyes locked on Sirius as he breathed with her, both of them trying to emulate the pattern the medi-witches claimed kept the pain at bay.

They fucking lied.

Remus wanted to point out that the last time they spoke to her during a contraction, she yelled at them to keep their bloody mouths closed as they were the reason she was dying in the first place. He wisely chose to tell her she was doing wonderfully instead. Sirius didn't trust himself to speak at all. He was afraid if he opened his mouth, he would say something stupid, like promise to never touch her again. He had to force himself not to pull her from the bed and take her home. She didn't have to try anymore. He wouldn't make her. They'd find another way to get their baby out of her.

The contraction ended a minute later. Everyone took a deep breath. Remus flexed his hands, desperate to bring some feeling to the digits. Sirius laid his head on Hermione's thigh, exhausted.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice hoarse, weepy. Two lone tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

She apologized for yelling; for forbidding them from touching her. She told them they weren't the devil's spawn and that the way they breathed wasn't annoying. She said she was sorry for threatening to cut off their manly bits and feed them to the Giant Squid.

"I love you," she promised. She kissed them, they kissed her. She whispered words of affection; their responses were just as fierce, just as heartfelt. Then the pain started again and all of her goodwill was forgotten.

This went on for two more hours before Mira Hope Black entered the world.

* * *

 

It was shortly after their daughter's first birthday that Sirius marched Remus and Hermione to a magical tattoo parlor. Holding Mira in his arms, the little girl babbled happily and Sirius watched in amusement as they both received the eternity symbol on their collarbones; Hermione's slightly below Remus' mark.

"Thank you," he told them after.

Remus nodded, understanding Sirius' need to have physical proof of his bond, too. Hermione rolled her eyes and took Mira out of Sirius' arms, saying the two words their daughter loved more than anything: ice cream.

"She has your chocolate addiction," Hermione later told Remus as they watched Mira smear chocolate ice cream all over her face.

He smiled at his daughter, for she was his as much as Sirius'. He scratched at his tattoo absently as he studied the two marks on Hermione's skin; further proof that she belonged with them. That night, as the three retired to their bed, he slowly traced his mark and Sirius' tattoo with his tongue, smirking as she shivered. She sighed as Sirius did the same before each man settled on either side of her, their lips and hands working in synchronicity to make her moan and beg and, eventually, scream.

"Do you require proof?" Remus asked as soon as he had enough oxygen to speak.

"Proof?" she gasped.

He turned to his side and touched the markings on her skin. "Do you want Sirius and me to do something to show the world we're yours?"

She smiled slowly, pushing Remus' shoulders until he was on his back. She turned to kiss Sirius deeply before she climbed on top of the werewolf. "I do want proof," she told him.

He ran his hands up her body and cupped her breasts. "What do you want?"

Hermione took Remus' hands in hers and placed them over her stomach. "I want your baby."

* * *

 

Kian John Lupin and Torin James Lupin entered the world just after midnight on June 1, 2004. Their first cries were loud and strong as their parents cooed over the newest additions to their family, two poorly knitted baby blankets folded in the bassinettes waiting to receive them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was interesting to revisit this story after more than a year. Hopefully I got all the tense issues fixed.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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